The History of the Oakland Automobile
Many ambassadors of good will have gone out from Pontiac, in the county of Oakland, in Michigan, in the form of wheeled vehicles, both horse drawn and gas propelled. With its neighboring town of Flint, Pontiac had become the center of the buggy industry when the motor car came into the picture. The original King buggy establishment was bought by W. F. Stewart, and became one of the Buick factories in 1908.
W.D. Paterson learned the carriage trade in the R.D. Scott shops. In ’69 he went to Flint and established the first vehicle factory there, making horse drawn vehicles for W.C. Durant. This, the Durant-Dort Carriage Co., also evolved into the Buick organization. Paterson, Durant, and Dort all were names of cars in later years. The Paterson was a motor buggy in 1909, becoming best known as a Continental motored six, on the market until 1924. The Dort can be remembered as a solid little four with one pedal for both clutch and brake, 19l4—’24. There was a Dort Six in 1923. Durant had a colorful career with Buick, organized General Motors, founded Chevrolet, and built such cars as Durant, Star, Flint, and Locomobile from 1922-’32.
The Pontiac Buggy Co. was started by E.M. Murphy in 1891, incorporated in 1893 by Messrs. Murphy, Beach, and Emmendorf. Mr. Murphy later became sole owner. In 1907, he undertook to develop plans for two-cylinder car designed by A.P. Brush whose Brush Runabouts with their coil springs and wooden axles were bringing a new conception of the small car. August 28, 1907, the Oakland Motor Car Company was founded.
There was a buggy type runabout called Pontiac in 1907 and 1908 built by the Pontiac Spring & Wagon Works. A Pontiac Motor Car Co. was organized in 1906 to build a combination commercial and pleasure vehicle.
Like other machines of Brush design, the early Oakland had an engine mounted vertically in front with cylinder heads that screwed on, and it cranked counterclockwise. The power plant was unique in that both pistons went up and down together. Balance was secured by a heavy counter-weighted shafi geared to the crankshaft and turning opposite to it. Tubular welded construction was seen in connecting rods, propeller shaft, and front axle.
The second year’s line, 1909, showed the first of the four- cylinder Oaklands. These followed standard practice of the day comprising a motor with cylinders, cast in pairs, cone clutch, three-speed gearbox with selective shift, separately mounted, ignition by magneto, gas headlights with Prest-O-Lite tank, oil side and tail lamps. The radiator was a little higher than usual and the hood had no louvres, the idea being to form an airtight case with the mud pan, fan blades in the flywheel drawing the air through the radiator and downward and under the car. These cars earned a wide reputation as hill climbers.
The company was purchased by General Motors Co., in June, 1909, one-half interest. E.M. Murphy died that year. He was succeeded as president by Lee Dunlap. In 1912, George E. Daniels became Chief. Upon his retirement in 1916, the Daniels Eight appeared. The “Distinguished Car” was said to require no nameplate. Its tall, narrow radiator identified it, until its demise in 1924. Its Hershell- Spillman motor was similar to that used by Peerless.
Oakland absorbed what was left of the Pontiac Buggy Co. in 1910. An increasingly wide range of cars was offered. The Oaklands were not without glamour, particularly the big fours and the Greyhound 6-60 of 1913-’ 14 with their massive fenders, big lamps, and the V- shaped German silver radiator.
Parking lights were set into and flush with the cowl, which extended in a graceful curve upward towards the driver and carried a one-piece forward folding windshield of the type that became popular on open sport cars of the early 1930s. Instead of running boards, cast aluminum steps were used. Lowness of build was secured by the use of double drop frame in larger models, and underslung springs, both front and rear in the smaller types.
The company became increasingly streamline- conscious, new models in 1914- ’ 1 5 eliminating the break between cowl and engine hood. Steering wheels were moved over to the left, and 1915 cars had no side lights. A speedster with low, bucket seats and high gear ratio was part of the line from 1911 through 1916.
“The Car with a Conscience” used Northway engines, Ralph E. Northway’s very successful design, with one of the earliest self-contained oiling systems, combining splash and pump for bearing lubrication, also featuring unit power plant construction for rigidity and to insure proper alignment of engine, clutch, and gearset. General Motors had acquired Northway Motor & Mfg. Co., which also supplied motors to such makers as Cole, Auburn, Jackson, Regal, Marathon, Cartercar, and some Olds and Scripps-Booth models. Mr. Northway also became identified with Ohio and Crescent car manufacture. In 1918, his Northway truck, built at Natick, Massachusetts, was the first truck to provide for driver comfort, with such conveniences as electric starting and lighting, enclosed cab, and Perfection heater.
The Oakland “Sensible Six” came out in 1916 as Model 32 with miniature Northway valve in head engine. Its price, $795, represented a new low in a six. With modifications, it was destined for a run of some eleven years. In 1917, Model 34 was among the first with aluminum pistons. It also carried the water pump back of the fan, and semi- elliptic rear springs replaced three-quarter elliptic. The 1918, 34-B, by the modern method used a vertical shaft geared to the center of the camshaft, turning the ignition distributor at one end and oil pump at the other. Its crankshaft was drilled for oiling the bearings, very unusual in a low priced car, and it had an exhaust-heated inlet manifold. There was a V-8 Oakland, Model 50, produced in 1916 and ’ 17 with the same Northway motor as powered the Cole Eight. The V-8 type was revived in 1930, for a short season.
A post-war Oakland sport car in 1921 set the fashion with red low—cut body and khaki top. Its nickeled radiator was high, with high hood and cowl and wire wheels. The 1922 Oakland 6-44 carried these lines in all models.
The 6-54 for 1924 was a pilot model testing public reaction to several of General Motors Research Laboratories new developments. It was a compact design with quick demountable disc wheels. The Duco finish was said to dispense with the need for garaging the car. On the instrument board, all dials were centrally mounted under a single glass panel and indirectly lighted from beneath. All controls usually found on the dash, including choke control, lighting and ignition switches, throttle and horn button, were centralized on top of the steering column. (All but the horn button were removed to the dash in 1926.) Four wheel outside brakes were used and the new L-head Ricardo turbulence type combustion chambers gave more power than the former valve in the head engine of the same size.
A smaller companion car, the Pontiac Six, was added in 1926, the Coach being one of the lowest priced sixes on the market. The G.M. Hamionic Balancer was first applied to the 1926 Oakland.
The All American Oakland of 1928 represented the first complete engine redesign since 1916. It was succeeded in 1930 by a return to the V-8 based on the design of the Olds Viking engine in which the eight cylinders were cast in a single block including the upper crankcase. Valves were horizontal, operated by rocker arms. The unorthodox 180- degree crankshaft called for flexible engine mounting to absorb vibration.
Because of the depression, the low priced Pontiac became increasingly popular until, in 1931, the Oakland was discontinued, and in 1932, the V-8 was known as the Pontiac Eight.
This is the only known case in automotive history where the companion car outlived the parent.
Extracted from a work by Walter 0. Macllvain in the July 1946 issue of "Bulb Horn Vol. 7, No. 3, entitled “Who's Who in Automobilia ”, Oakland- Pontiac.”
W.D. Paterson learned the carriage trade in the R.D. Scott shops. In ’69 he went to Flint and established the first vehicle factory there, making horse drawn vehicles for W.C. Durant. This, the Durant-Dort Carriage Co., also evolved into the Buick organization. Paterson, Durant, and Dort all were names of cars in later years. The Paterson was a motor buggy in 1909, becoming best known as a Continental motored six, on the market until 1924. The Dort can be remembered as a solid little four with one pedal for both clutch and brake, 19l4—’24. There was a Dort Six in 1923. Durant had a colorful career with Buick, organized General Motors, founded Chevrolet, and built such cars as Durant, Star, Flint, and Locomobile from 1922-’32.
The Pontiac Buggy Co. was started by E.M. Murphy in 1891, incorporated in 1893 by Messrs. Murphy, Beach, and Emmendorf. Mr. Murphy later became sole owner. In 1907, he undertook to develop plans for two-cylinder car designed by A.P. Brush whose Brush Runabouts with their coil springs and wooden axles were bringing a new conception of the small car. August 28, 1907, the Oakland Motor Car Company was founded.
There was a buggy type runabout called Pontiac in 1907 and 1908 built by the Pontiac Spring & Wagon Works. A Pontiac Motor Car Co. was organized in 1906 to build a combination commercial and pleasure vehicle.
Like other machines of Brush design, the early Oakland had an engine mounted vertically in front with cylinder heads that screwed on, and it cranked counterclockwise. The power plant was unique in that both pistons went up and down together. Balance was secured by a heavy counter-weighted shafi geared to the crankshaft and turning opposite to it. Tubular welded construction was seen in connecting rods, propeller shaft, and front axle.
The second year’s line, 1909, showed the first of the four- cylinder Oaklands. These followed standard practice of the day comprising a motor with cylinders, cast in pairs, cone clutch, three-speed gearbox with selective shift, separately mounted, ignition by magneto, gas headlights with Prest-O-Lite tank, oil side and tail lamps. The radiator was a little higher than usual and the hood had no louvres, the idea being to form an airtight case with the mud pan, fan blades in the flywheel drawing the air through the radiator and downward and under the car. These cars earned a wide reputation as hill climbers.
The company was purchased by General Motors Co., in June, 1909, one-half interest. E.M. Murphy died that year. He was succeeded as president by Lee Dunlap. In 1912, George E. Daniels became Chief. Upon his retirement in 1916, the Daniels Eight appeared. The “Distinguished Car” was said to require no nameplate. Its tall, narrow radiator identified it, until its demise in 1924. Its Hershell- Spillman motor was similar to that used by Peerless.
Oakland absorbed what was left of the Pontiac Buggy Co. in 1910. An increasingly wide range of cars was offered. The Oaklands were not without glamour, particularly the big fours and the Greyhound 6-60 of 1913-’ 14 with their massive fenders, big lamps, and the V- shaped German silver radiator.
Parking lights were set into and flush with the cowl, which extended in a graceful curve upward towards the driver and carried a one-piece forward folding windshield of the type that became popular on open sport cars of the early 1930s. Instead of running boards, cast aluminum steps were used. Lowness of build was secured by the use of double drop frame in larger models, and underslung springs, both front and rear in the smaller types.
The company became increasingly streamline- conscious, new models in 1914- ’ 1 5 eliminating the break between cowl and engine hood. Steering wheels were moved over to the left, and 1915 cars had no side lights. A speedster with low, bucket seats and high gear ratio was part of the line from 1911 through 1916.
“The Car with a Conscience” used Northway engines, Ralph E. Northway’s very successful design, with one of the earliest self-contained oiling systems, combining splash and pump for bearing lubrication, also featuring unit power plant construction for rigidity and to insure proper alignment of engine, clutch, and gearset. General Motors had acquired Northway Motor & Mfg. Co., which also supplied motors to such makers as Cole, Auburn, Jackson, Regal, Marathon, Cartercar, and some Olds and Scripps-Booth models. Mr. Northway also became identified with Ohio and Crescent car manufacture. In 1918, his Northway truck, built at Natick, Massachusetts, was the first truck to provide for driver comfort, with such conveniences as electric starting and lighting, enclosed cab, and Perfection heater.
The Oakland “Sensible Six” came out in 1916 as Model 32 with miniature Northway valve in head engine. Its price, $795, represented a new low in a six. With modifications, it was destined for a run of some eleven years. In 1917, Model 34 was among the first with aluminum pistons. It also carried the water pump back of the fan, and semi- elliptic rear springs replaced three-quarter elliptic. The 1918, 34-B, by the modern method used a vertical shaft geared to the center of the camshaft, turning the ignition distributor at one end and oil pump at the other. Its crankshaft was drilled for oiling the bearings, very unusual in a low priced car, and it had an exhaust-heated inlet manifold. There was a V-8 Oakland, Model 50, produced in 1916 and ’ 17 with the same Northway motor as powered the Cole Eight. The V-8 type was revived in 1930, for a short season.
A post-war Oakland sport car in 1921 set the fashion with red low—cut body and khaki top. Its nickeled radiator was high, with high hood and cowl and wire wheels. The 1922 Oakland 6-44 carried these lines in all models.
The 6-54 for 1924 was a pilot model testing public reaction to several of General Motors Research Laboratories new developments. It was a compact design with quick demountable disc wheels. The Duco finish was said to dispense with the need for garaging the car. On the instrument board, all dials were centrally mounted under a single glass panel and indirectly lighted from beneath. All controls usually found on the dash, including choke control, lighting and ignition switches, throttle and horn button, were centralized on top of the steering column. (All but the horn button were removed to the dash in 1926.) Four wheel outside brakes were used and the new L-head Ricardo turbulence type combustion chambers gave more power than the former valve in the head engine of the same size.
A smaller companion car, the Pontiac Six, was added in 1926, the Coach being one of the lowest priced sixes on the market. The G.M. Hamionic Balancer was first applied to the 1926 Oakland.
The All American Oakland of 1928 represented the first complete engine redesign since 1916. It was succeeded in 1930 by a return to the V-8 based on the design of the Olds Viking engine in which the eight cylinders were cast in a single block including the upper crankcase. Valves were horizontal, operated by rocker arms. The unorthodox 180- degree crankshaft called for flexible engine mounting to absorb vibration.
Because of the depression, the low priced Pontiac became increasingly popular until, in 1931, the Oakland was discontinued, and in 1932, the V-8 was known as the Pontiac Eight.
This is the only known case in automotive history where the companion car outlived the parent.
Extracted from a work by Walter 0. Macllvain in the July 1946 issue of "Bulb Horn Vol. 7, No. 3, entitled “Who's Who in Automobilia ”, Oakland- Pontiac.”