Eric Minoff
Vice President, Head of Department - US
LOT 509
1909 Oakland Model 40 Touring Chassis no. 1576 Engine no. 331
Sold for US$38,080 inc. premiumLot to be sold without reserve
Lot 509
1909 Oakland Model 40 Touring
1909 Oakland Model 40 Touring
Chassis no. 1576
Engine no. 331
Chassis no. 1576
Engine no. 331
318.1 cu in, BiBloc Inline 4-Cylinder Engine
Single Carburetor
Approx. 40hp
3-Speed Manual Transmission
Front, Semi-Elliptic Leaf Spring, Rear, Fully Elliptic Leaf Spring Suspension
Rear-Wheel Drum Brakes
* Early Pontiac, Michigan built automobile
* One of only 4 of the early Oakland cars to survive
* Potentially a usable and affordable touring car
THE OAKLAND MODEL 40
For more information on the history of the Oakland Motor Car Company please see lot 521 in this auction. As elaborated there, the model that really got the company off and running was this, the 'Forty'. A proud advertising campaign played strongly on its virtues and the value that it offered, its text succinctly sums up the details, under the heading 'The Oakland is the answer to the man who says "Show Me".
The pitch reads '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 per cent more for a car that will do no more than the Oakland "Forty"?'
This continues 'It has a forty horsepower motor with cylinders cars in pairs, 112-inch wheel base, 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 Oakland Motor Car Co. was absorbed into William Durant's General Motors conglomerate in 1909, providing for the company the financial resources it needed to develop its range of cars. The four-cylinder cars were marketed as "The Car with a Conscience" and the radiators carried the distinctive oak leaf and acorn emblem.
THE MOTORCAR OFFERED
The Two Generations collection houses two key products from the incubatory period of Oakland, their original two-cylinder car and its successor the four-cylinder Model 40 which was key the foundation of the brand. Of the four surviving Oaklands in the HCCA roster two live in this collection, another prominent exponent of these cars was Robert Roughton of Virginia Beach, from whom this car was acquired in 2017.
There was always a penchant for red cars in this collection, as can be seen on these catalogue pages, so this larger Oakland would have appealed strongly to these owners and matches the schemes of the Palmer-Singer, Pierce-Arrow and others in the stable. In this case, the red coachwork is contrasted with black painted beads to the fenders and its black button back leather upholstery.
A cursory viewing of the car shows it to be well appointed with a period head and sidelamp set and nice detail features such as its "Automatic Folding Windshield", which claims to be operational single handedly, another clever piece of design is for the Clutch and Brake to be cast into their respective pedals, surely in those days there were still a few people getting the hang of these arrangements.
Clearly an older restoration, and likely needing some recommissioning, this Oakland Forty is nonetheless an honest and relatively affordable Brass Era touring car, much as it was when they sold new.
Single Carburetor
Approx. 40hp
3-Speed Manual Transmission
Front, Semi-Elliptic Leaf Spring, Rear, Fully Elliptic Leaf Spring Suspension
Rear-Wheel Drum Brakes
* Early Pontiac, Michigan built automobile
* One of only 4 of the early Oakland cars to survive
* Potentially a usable and affordable touring car
THE OAKLAND MODEL 40
For more information on the history of the Oakland Motor Car Company please see lot 521 in this auction. As elaborated there, the model that really got the company off and running was this, the 'Forty'. A proud advertising campaign played strongly on its virtues and the value that it offered, its text succinctly sums up the details, under the heading 'The Oakland is the answer to the man who says "Show Me".
The pitch reads '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 per cent more for a car that will do no more than the Oakland "Forty"?'
This continues 'It has a forty horsepower motor with cylinders cars in pairs, 112-inch wheel base, 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 Oakland Motor Car Co. was absorbed into William Durant's General Motors conglomerate in 1909, providing for the company the financial resources it needed to develop its range of cars. The four-cylinder cars were marketed as "The Car with a Conscience" and the radiators carried the distinctive oak leaf and acorn emblem.
THE MOTORCAR OFFERED
The Two Generations collection houses two key products from the incubatory period of Oakland, their original two-cylinder car and its successor the four-cylinder Model 40 which was key the foundation of the brand. Of the four surviving Oaklands in the HCCA roster two live in this collection, another prominent exponent of these cars was Robert Roughton of Virginia Beach, from whom this car was acquired in 2017.
There was always a penchant for red cars in this collection, as can be seen on these catalogue pages, so this larger Oakland would have appealed strongly to these owners and matches the schemes of the Palmer-Singer, Pierce-Arrow and others in the stable. In this case, the red coachwork is contrasted with black painted beads to the fenders and its black button back leather upholstery.
A cursory viewing of the car shows it to be well appointed with a period head and sidelamp set and nice detail features such as its "Automatic Folding Windshield", which claims to be operational single handedly, another clever piece of design is for the Clutch and Brake to be cast into their respective pedals, surely in those days there were still a few people getting the hang of these arrangements.
Clearly an older restoration, and likely needing some recommissioning, this Oakland Forty is nonetheless an honest and relatively affordable Brass Era touring car, much as it was when they sold new.
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