General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

1

Total Parts

1

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

METAL

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

N/A

Width

8.0 cm

Height

4.6 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Motorized Ground Transportation

Category

Automotive parts

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

PONTIAC

Country

United States of America

State/Province

Michigan

City

Pontiac

Context

Country

Unknown

State/Province

Unknown

Period

Unknown

Canada

Hub caps are collector's items.

Function

Cover put on automobile wheels to enhance its aesthetic appearance or aero dynamism and to protect the wheel bolts from mud and dust.

Technical

In 1893, the Pontiac Buggy Company was established by Edward M. Murphy in Pontiac, Michigan. The company manufactured horse drawn carriages until 1906. In 1907, Murphy incorporated the Oakland Motor Car Company as a subsidiary to the buggy company because motorcar sales were surpassing carriages. In 1908, Oakland merged with Pontiac Spring and Wagon Works. In 1909, William Durant purchased 50% interest in the Oakland Motor Car Company, which was then integrated with the General Motors Corporation in the same year. Oakland produced vehicles under the Oakland Motors Division of GM until 1932 when it became the Pontiac Motor Car Company (Bowman, "Oakland Motor Car Company"). General Motors (GM) was established in 1892 and today the company is still an important car manufacturer. The company produced a variety of brands, which included Buick, Chevrolet, GMC, Pontiac, Saturn, Cadillac, Hummer, and Saab. The origins of GM began with the founding of the Olds Motor Vehicle Company by R.E. Olds in 1892 (Grant: 148-153). The company merged with the Olds Gasoline Engine Works to become Olds Motor Works in 1899, which produced the first Oldsmobile (Walkinshaw, "Olds, Ransom Eli"). In 1901, Olds developed the first Oldsmobile and manufactured vehicles at a low cost for the mass market, contributing to the growth of the U.S. automotive industry (National Park Service). In 1903, some of the major manufacturing giants banned together as a result of market instability. William Durant, an executive of the Buick Motor Company formed the General Motors Corporation by merging Oldsmobile and Buick; Cadillac and Oakland (renamed Pontiac) joined in 1909 and Chevrolet followed in 1918. By 1920, GM had acquired the McLaughlin Motor Company of Canada, which would later become General Motors of Canada Limited. GM continues to be an important manufacturer of automobiles (Grant: 148-153). Originally, hub caps date back to the horse-drawn era and afterwards to the first automobiles when wheels were made of wooden spokes connected to the center hub. The hub contained the wheel bearing, which was packed with grease. The hub cap was a small device used to cover the center hub to keep the dust out and the grease in. Eventually, car manufacturers replaced the wooden spokes with steel wire spokes in the 1920s and 1930s. As a result the hub cap evolved into a wheel cover, which is a large disc that covers most of the wheel. Wheel covers continue to serve a functional purpose but they have also become a decorative design feature of the wheel.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

Stamped oval in center of hub cap, cross hatched with diamond shapes containing name 'PONTIAC' in raised letters

Missing

N/A

Finish

Polished silver surface/ condition: metal worn from use of wrench

Decoration

N/A