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 1897, Australian businessman John Pender commissioned a car. Hertel manufactured the car and shipped it to Melbourne. The Pender-Hertel is believed to be the first automobile imported into Australia.[3]
In 1899 Hertel established the Oakman Motor Vehicle Company in Greenfield, Massachusetts. The company produced a two-seat, two-cylinder (581 cc; 2,5 HP),[4] tiller steered runabout which sold for $750 (equivalent to $28,347 in 2024), that was very similar to his Times-Herald car.[2] The vehicle weight was 214 kg. The fuel tank was designed for a range of 120 km. According to this source the displacement of the two-cylinder engine was 1607 cc with a bore of 92.075 mm and a stroke of 120.65 mm. [5]
With very few cars selling, creditors closed Hertel's factory in November 1900.[2]
