Lot 532: 1918 Oakland Model 34B Roadster

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 produced fours exclusively for a few years, Oakland introduced its first six – a 60hp – in 1913, adding a smaller, 177ci (2.9-litre) model – ‘The Sensible Six’ – in 1916. The Model 34 Sensible Six was notable for its advanced engine, which incorporated pushrod-operated overhead valves and produced 41bhp, an output double that of the contemporary Ford Model T. Economy and durability were additional worthy characteristics and the Sensible Six proved such a success that it was the sole Oakland model on offer from 1918 to 1922. Its virtues made the car a big hit in the Antipodes, and it is estimated that half of the 300-400 Oaklands believed surviving worldwide are located in Australia.
This left-hand drive Model 34B had been on display at the Charlie Sens Antique Automobile Museum in Ohio before being acquired for the Kent, UK-based Dick Van Dyck Collection in 1998. Finished in sage green over black, it boasts a three-speed gearbox; electric overdrive rear axle; nickel-plated radiator shell; Boyce/Oakland ‘Motometer’; brass-rimmed headlamps; two-piece windshield (complete with wind deflectors); twin rear-mounted spare tyres; and Oakland-branded tread plates as well as a combined gas, water and oil can rack. Offered with VSCC eligibility documentation and old State of Florida Certificate of Title, the car benefits from a new cylinder head gasket and is described by the vendor as in very good condition throughout.