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- Advertisement, Oakland Motor Company, "Oakland Sensible Six-- the Practical Car For You, As Sturdy as the Oak," 1917 - The automobile is a paradox -- a practical tool that plays host to both human needs and fantasies. Like car consumers, automotive ads seem to land somewhere between fantasy and reality, emotions and rationality. Many ads incorporate apparent opposites: fantasy can sell practicality, and vice versa. Sometimes the car has disappeared completely -- an emotional appeal prompts us to complete the ad.

- April 14, 1917
- Collections - Artifact
Advertisement, Oakland Motor Company, "Oakland Sensible Six-- the Practical Car For You, As Sturdy as the Oak," 1917
The automobile is a paradox -- a practical tool that plays host to both human needs and fantasies. Like car consumers, automotive ads seem to land somewhere between fantasy and reality, emotions and rationality. Many ads incorporate apparent opposites: fantasy can sell practicality, and vice versa. Sometimes the car has disappeared completely -- an emotional appeal prompts us to complete the ad.
- 1911 Oakland Runabout - Oakland Motor Car Company, named for the suburban Detroit county in which it was established in 1907, sold this sturdy mid-priced 1911 runabout for $1,000. Oakland became one of the first General Motors brands in 1909. When Oakland introduced its low-priced Pontiac line for 1926, the new line proved so popular that Oakland closed in 1931 while Pontiac survived to 2010.

- 1911
- Collections - Artifact
1911 Oakland Runabout
Oakland Motor Car Company, named for the suburban Detroit county in which it was established in 1907, sold this sturdy mid-priced 1911 runabout for $1,000. Oakland became one of the first General Motors brands in 1909. When Oakland introduced its low-priced Pontiac line for 1926, the new line proved so popular that Oakland closed in 1931 while Pontiac survived to 2010.