Oakland alert

Sir.

I am about to start the research which will hopefully lead to a booklet/book on the history of the Oakland Motor Car Company.

I am aware of the history of Oakland in America and its formation out of the Pontiac Buggy Company. its subsequent takeover by General Motors and its sibling Pontiac. All this is fairly well documented, but nothing seems to exist about Oakland’s history in the UK. At present, I know that they had an office/ showroom at 146 Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC1, and I have been informed that at one time they or a previous importer were based in the Hendon area.

If any reader has any information and/or photographs about the company, its location(s), its employees, its locations, models, dealers, road tests, brochures, leaflets or anything at all connected with Oakland, no matter how tenuous or apparently trivial, I would be most grateful to hear from them

Judging by the length of time taken by others more skilled at research than I am, I guess this will become a lifetime labour. albeit one of love, as I have an Oakland myself.

I have have been asked by the chairman of the Pontiac Owners’ Club UK to try and form an Oakland Register for cars currently in the UK. If anyone knows of other Oaklands still in existence, I would be pleased to hear from them.

Yours in anticipation of a vast mailbag ..

David G Jones, 105 Summers Road, Farncombe, Godalming,
Surrey GU7 3BE.

0483 861 177.