Fageol Truck, Tractor, Automobile factory - Oakland CA

Location: 106th Ave and Foothill Blvd

Construction started in 1917.

Fageol trucks were well constructed and won over buyers of industrial vehicles, owing in part to the dual range, mid-mounted transmission. This gearbox allowed for extreme ranges in gearing for slow speed heavy hauling and for highway speeds with lighter loads. These vehicles were easily spotted by the large number "7" painted on the front of the radiator.

In 1921, Fageol became the first company to build a bus based on its own platform unrelated to heavy trucks. This new style bus was initially called "Safety Bus". The goal was to build a bus that was resistant to overturning when cornering. It had a wide track, and was lower to the ground for ease of entry and exit. Following the successful introduction, the vehicles were renamed "Safety Coaches", a term intended to help with marketing.

Fageol truck at the San Francisco Autoshow. Fageol stared making trucks in Ohio in the early 20's.

Later - post Oakland Fageol vans above. The Fageol brothers left the company in 1927 in the midst of a lawsuit between the Ohio and Oakland plants, and the remnants of the company went throught the hands of the Waukesha Motor Co. and the Central Bank of Oakland operated Fageol from 1932 until 1938 when its assets were purchased by Sterling, who flipped the property and operation to T.A. Peterman, a logger and plywood manufacturer from Tacoma, Wash. Peterman had been rebuilding surplus army trucks and modifying old logging trucks for use in his business. By 1938, his lumber operations had expanded beyond the capabilities of his fleet. So he purchased the Fageol assets in order to build custom chain drive logging trucks. You'll recognize the name - as they were and still are sold as Peterbuilt.

The full Fageol story is here on Coachbuilt.com.