A Brief History of Pontiac
Bettmann / Corbis
Humble Beginnings
It began in Pontiac, Michigan in 1893 as the Pontiac Buggy Company. But founder Edward Murphy knew which way the winds were blowing: in 1907, he began producing automobiles under the name Oakland
Motor Car Company. After General Motors bought a stake in the company,
Pontiac became a GM brand, debuting a five-passenger, six-cylinder car at
the New York Auto Show in 1926. According to the Detroit News, GM
sold 76,742 of the cars at $825 each that year.
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