Ransom Eli Olds was a restless man. Most people know him for the Oldsmobile, but that wasn't the end of his story. Far from it. After a bitter falling out with his backers, he walked away and started REO. It wasn't just a vanity project. He wanted to build things that lasted longer than the competition. Specifically, he gave us the REO Speed Wagon and the REO Flying Cloud. These weren't just vehicles. They were the backbone of American transit and the birth of the "cool" everyday driver.
Most people today hear "Speed Wagon" and think of an 80s rock band with big hair and power ballads. That’s fine. But before Kevin Cronin was singing about keeping on loving you, the Speed Wagon was a literal truck that changed how stuff moved. Before it showed up, delivery trucks were basically motorized wagons with all the grace of a brick. They were slow. They were heavy. They broke down if you looked at them wrong. Olds fixed that.
The Speed Wagon: Not Just a Band Name
The Speed Wagon arrived in 1915. It was a revelation. It had a light delivery body on a sturdy chassis, and it could actually keep up with traffic. Most trucks of that era were lucky to hit 15 miles per hour without shaking the driver’s teeth out of their head. The Speed Wagon? It cruised. It used pneumatic tires when others were still clattering around on solid rubber. That sounds like a small detail, but it changed everything for the guy behind the wheel. Suddenly, you weren't exhausted after a four-hour shift.
It was the ancestor of the modern pickup. Honestly, if you look at a Ford F-150 today, you can trace its DNA right back to what REO was doing in the teens and twenties. They built fire engines out of them. They built buses. They built tow trucks. It was the Swiss Army knife of the automotive world. REO wasn't just selling a vehicle; they were selling the idea that work didn't have to be agonizingly slow.
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The Flying Cloud and the Art of the Drive
Then came the Flying Cloud. If the Speed Wagon was the workhorse, the Flying Cloud was the thoroughbred. Launched in 1927, it was arguably the first car to be designed with a heavy focus on aerodynamics and "flow," even before we really understood the physics of it. It looked fast while sitting still.
It was the first car to use Lockheed’s internal-expanding hydraulic brakes on all four wheels. Think about that for a second. In 1927, while most people were still tugging on cables and hoping for the best, REO drivers had real stopping power. It made the car safer, sure, but it also made it more fun to drive. You could actually push it. It had a "Gold Crown" engine that was famously over-engineered. Chrome-nickel alloy blocks. Seven-bearing crankshafts. This thing was built to be immortal.
It basically defined the "prestige" mid-market. It wasn't a cheap Ford, but it wasn't a prohibitively expensive Duesenberg either. It was for the person who appreciated engineering but didn't need to flaunt a gold-plated radiator cap.
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Why They Faded Out
REO didn't die because the cars were bad. They died because the business world is brutal. The Great Depression hit everyone, but it hit independent manufacturers like REO the hardest. They didn't have the massive safety net of GM or Ford. By the mid-30s, they had to make a choice. They couldn't keep making luxury cars and heavy trucks at the same time and stay profitable.
They dropped the cars. The last Flying Cloud rolled off the line in 1936. It’s a tragedy, really. Imagine what a 1950s Flying Cloud would have looked like? We missed out on that because the company pivoted entirely to trucks. Eventually, REO merged with Diamond T to become Diamond Reo, but the magic of the passenger car era was gone.
Spotting One Today
If you’re looking to get into the hobby, you’ve got to be careful. Finding a Speed Wagon is easier than finding a Flying Cloud in good nick. A lot of the trucks were worked to death. They were used in orchards, on construction sites, and as fire rigs until their frames literally snapped. But the ones that survived? They are surprisingly easy to work on.
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The Flying Cloud is a different beast. Collectors prize the 1927–1930 models. If you find one with the original hydraulic lines, you’re probably going to have to replace the whole system—modern fluids eat the old seals alive. But once they’re running, they’re smooth. Like, "modern car" smooth.
Actionable Advice for Enthusiasts
If you’re serious about REO history or looking to buy:
- Check the Serial Numbers: REO was meticulous, but parts were often swapped between the Speed Wagon and the passenger cars during the lean years of the Depression. Make sure you aren't buying a "Franken-car" if you want a pure Flying Cloud.
- Join the Club: The REO Club of America is one of the most helpful groups out there. They have documentation that isn't digitized anywhere else. If you're stuck on a timing issue with a Gold Crown engine, these are the guys who know the fix.
- Focus on the Brakes: Since REO was a pioneer in hydraulic braking, many surviving models have rusted-out cylinders. Don't try to "save" old lines. Replace them with copper-nickel (NiCopp) lines for safety.
- Look for Fire Engines: Many of the best-preserved Speed Wagons are former fire trucks. They were kept indoors, maintained by bored firefighters, and rarely driven long distances. They are the "low mileage" gems of the vintage truck world.
The REO Speed Wagon and the REO Flying Cloud represent a time when American engineering was about more than just moving units. It was about pride. Ransom Olds wanted his name on something that wouldn't fail. He succeeded. Even if the brand is gone, the impact they had on how we design trucks and luxury sedans is still visible every time you hit the highway.