Max Hertel was an engineer for the American Biscuit Company and entered the 1895 Chicago Times-Herald Race. His small two-cylinder gasoline car, built between two bicycle frames, broke the steering gear on the way to the starting line and he could not compete.[2]
In 1899 Hertel established the Oakman Motor Vehicle Company in Greenfield, Massachusetts. The company produced a two-seat, two-cylinder, tiller steered runabout which sold for $750 (equivalent to $27,468 in 2023), that was very similar to his Times-Herald car.[2]
With very few cars selling, creditors closed Hertel's factory in November 1900.[2]
References
^100 Years of the American Auto Millennium Edition, Copyright 1999 Publications International, Ltd.
^ abcdKimes, Beverly Rae; Clark Jr; Henry Austin (1996). Standard Catalog of American Cars: 1805–1942. Iola, WI: Krause Publications. p. 700. ISBN978-0-87341-428-9.
