1912 Oakland Model 40

William Durant was attracted to the Oakland Motor Car Company due to its background in the carriage business, acquiring it in 1909 and making it the fourth addition to his General Motors empire.

The Oakland Motor Car Company was founded in 1907 by Edward Murphy (owner of the Pontiac Buggy Company) and Alanson Brush (a former employee of the Cadillac Motor Company). Based in Oakland County, Michigan (and the source of its name), the company initially used a design penned by Brush featuring a twin-cylinder motor paired with a planetary transmission.

Murphy began Oakland automobile production in 1908, sold to Durant in 1909, and passed away five months later. The company he founded would continue for two dozen years, ending in 1931 when it was dropped in favor of GM's Pontiac brand.

The Oakland Model 40
Oakland advertising for the Model Forty stated, 'The Oakland is the answer to the man who says 'Show Me'.' It read, 'It is a good, old-fashioned American habit, whether buying a cigar or a ten thousand dollar house to look into things a little before spending your money and see that you are paying not one cent more than is necessary. You select an automobile for what it is and for what it will do.' It asked 'Why should you pay from 50 to 100 percent more for a car that will do no more than the Oakland 'Forty'?' It continued, 'It has a forty horsepower motor with cylinders cars in pairs, 112-inch wheelbase, seats five people without touching elbows, and in every little appointment is luxurious and easy-riding.' 'Light weight, 2,000 lbs., means low cost of maintenance. Big 34-inch wheels, 4-inch tires, steel I-beam axles – nothing cheap about the Oakland – simplicity of construction and scientific manufacturing system alone can account for the phenomenally low price.' 'This is a car you want to buy, and if you are an agent, it is a car you want to sell'

The 1912 Oakland Model 40 was powered by a four-cylinder engine, cast in pairs, with spark provided by a Bosch duel ignition system. It was paired with a three-speed gearbox, and it rode on 34 x 4 tires. The wheelbase measured 112, and the suspension comprised semi-elliptic leaf springs at the rear and a fully elliptic leaf spring setup at the front. Body styles included a five-passenger tourer priced at $1,450, a coupe at $1,900 and a roadster at $1,450.

by Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2023