OCC Oakland Car Records

Collection — Box: Small Processed Collections, Box 1, Folder: 3-4

Identifier: OCCR0011

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of two folders of documentation relating to the donation of the Oakland Car to OCC, its history, upkeep and repair.

Dates

1969 - 1994

Creator

Oakland Community College (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Refer to the Oakland Community College Archives Rules for Use of Archival Materials. Restrictions: Researchers may encounter records of a sensitive nature – personnel files, case records and those involving investigations, legal and other private matters. Privacy laws and restrictions imposed by OCC prohibit the use of names and other personal information which might identify an individual, except with written permission from the Dean and/or the donor.

Biographical / Historical

The 1927 Oakland automobile, currently housed in a glass enclosure at the Auburn Hills Campus B Building, was purchased by Oakland Community College students in the spring of 1968 for $3,000 with the aid of Dr. Vaughn Whited, Assistant to the President of OCC.

Although the previous owner had received a higher offer for the car, he liked the idea of it being used as an OCC mascot. In the early years of OCC's ownership of the Oakland Car, the vehicle was kept in a garage at OCC's District Office and was occasionally driven in parades. At some point from when it was purchased in 1968 to the late 1980s, the car was no longer able to run.

It was at that time that it was transferred to the Auburn Hills Campus to compliment the Auto Technology Program. The OCC Oakland Car is a three-passenger Landau Coupe with wooden wheel spokes, a wooden steering wheel, and a Spanish leather interior. The car also features a six-cylinder, 19.80 horsepower engine with 185 cubic inch displacement.