Oakland Assembly was a former Chevrolet manufacturing facility located in

Elmhurst, Oakland, California Elmhurst is a residential neighborhood in the southernmost part of Oakland, California. Originally a separate unincorporated town, it was annexed by Oakland in 1909, and today is considered part of East Oakland. It lies at an elevation of 39 feet ...

. It was the first automobile plant established in Northern California to build Chevrolet vehicles. In 1916, Chevrolet opened the auto industry's first West Coast assembly plant in Oakland. Production of the

Chevrolet Series 490 The Chevrolet Series 490 (or Four-Ninety) is an early American automobile, made from 1915 to 1922 by Chevrolet. Introduced in June 1915, the 490 sold for $490 ($ in dollars ). Chevrolet 490 was an immediate success and established the brand as ...

began on Sept. 23, 1916, while

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

was taking place (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918). The plant stopped producing automobiles for commercial use on January 30 1942 until August 20 1945, and contributed to the war effort during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

producing munitions, Pratt & Whitney aircraft engines, 90mm guns and billions of pounds of aluminum forgings, magnesium castings and grey iron castings. The Chevrolet Fleetline remained in production during the war but only for military uses. It received the United States

Army-Navy "E" Award The Army-Navy "E" Award was an honor presented to companies during World War II whose production facilities achieved "Excellence in Production" ("E") of war equipment. The award was also known as the Army-Navy Production Award. The award was cr ...

for operational excellence. It was approximately 6 miles east of the former Naval Air Station Alameda. When commercial manufacturing resumed, Chevrolet's most well known vehicles during the 1950s were built at the facility, to include the so called " Tri-Five" 1955–1957 Chevrolet coupes, sedans and station wagons. The factory was recognized that the facility needed to be upgraded for more modern manufacturing methods and in the summer of 1963, it was replaced by Fremont Assembly. It is now the Eastmont Town Center at the corner of 73rd Street and MacArthur Blvd.

Models

Some of the models produced at the plant included: *1915-1922

*1923-1926

Chevrolet Superior The Chevrolet Superior Series F was launched in 1923, manufactured by Chevrolet for four years with a different series per year. The 1923 model was known as the Series B, the 1924 model was the Series F, for 1925 it was known as the Series K and ...

(introduction of GM "A" platform) *1927 Chevrolet Series AA Capitol *1928 Chevrolet Series AB National *1929 Chevrolet Series AC International *1930 Chevrolet Series AD Universal *1931 Chevrolet Series AE Independence *1932 Chevrolet Series BA Confederate *1933 Chevrolet Eagle *1933-1936

Chevrolet Standard Six The Chevrolet Standard (Series DC) was launched in 1933, initially as the Chevrolet Standard Mercury, by Chevrolet as a lower priced alternative to the 1932 Chevrolet Series BA Confederate that became the Master Eagle in 1933 and Master from 193 ...

*1933-1942

Chevrolet Master The Chevrolet Master and Master Deluxe are American passenger vehicles manufactured by Chevrolet between 1933 and 1942 to replace the 1933 Master Eagle. It was the more expensive model in the Chevrolet range at this time, with the Standard Merc ...

*1941-1952

Chevrolet Deluxe The Chevrolet Deluxe is a trim line of Chevrolet automobiles that was marketed from 1941 to 1952, and was the volume sales leader for the market during the 1940s. The line included at first a 4-door sedan, but grew to include a fastback 2-door " ...

*1953-1957 Chevrolet 150/ Chevrolet 210/ Chevrolet Fleetline/ Chevrolet Townsman *1960-1963

Chevrolet Corvair The Chevrolet Corvair is a compact car manufactured by Chevrolet for model years 1960–1969 in two generations. A response to the Volkswagen Beetle, it remains the only American-designed, mass-produced passenger car with a rear-mounted, air- ...

References

External links

Photo of Oakland Assembly and manufactured Chevrolet ready for deliveryOakland Wiki page for this factory
General Motors factories Former motor vehicle assembly plants Motor vehicle assembly plants in California Companies based in Oakland, California History of Oakland, California Industrial buildings completed in 1916 Manufacturing companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1916 Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1963 1916 establishments in California 1963 disestablishments in California Defunct companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area {{Auto-factory-stub

Models

See also

References

External links