Thursday 16th April 1908

The first Oakland car was sold to a private owner. As originally conceived and introduced, the first Oakland used a vertical two-cylinder engine that rotated counterclockwise. This design by Alanson Partridge Brush, inventor of the single-cylinder Cadillac and Brush Runabout, also featured a planetary transmission. Five models were created, designated Model A–E with each subsequent letter increasing in total vehicle size. 1908, the first year of Oakland production, saw 278 vehicles roll off the line. Oakland Car Company was the creation of Edward Murphy, the founder of the Pontiac Buggy Company. Oakland ran independently for less than a year before it was purchased by William C. Durant and absorbed into General Motors. Durant’s purchase of Oakland is often regarded as mysterious, considering the company had enjoyed little success and had produced less than a 1,000 cars at the time Durant purchased it.