The Oakland Motor Car Company was founded in Pontiac, Michigan in 1907 by a small group of local businessmen headed by Edward P Murphy, who saw the fledgling automobile as a sensible adjunct to his existing Pontiac Buggy Company carriage-making enterprise.

Alanson P Brush, who had been responsible for designing the early Cadillacs, was recruited as Vice President/Chief Engineer, coming up with a twin-cylinder model with counter-clockwise rotating crankshaft.

Its reception was disappointing, but a more conventional four-cylinder model soon followed and within a few years Oakland sales had reached 5,000 units annually.

Soon after the four’s introduction Edward Murphy died and his company was acquired by another Pontiac carriage-maker – William C Durant – becoming part of the latter’s burgeoning General Motors empire.

Within GM, Oakland was positioned above Chevrolet and below the Buick and Oldsmobile premium marques.

‘The Car With A Conscience’ became the company slogan.

Having pro...