1930 REO Flying Cloud Pickup

Ransom Eli Olds introduced his 'Curved Dash Olds' in 1901, which turned into a great success. Internal squabbles with his own company resulted in him leaving in 1904 and he formed REO, an acronym for his own name. REO would remain a part of the automotive landscape until the end came in 1975.

By 1907, REO was one of the wealthiest automobile manufacturers in the world. Their success, however, was short-lived, as Ford and General Motors began gaining ground with less expensive and more readily available vehicles.

In 1927, they introduced their Flying Cloud model. Power was from a 268 cubic-inch, inline-6-cylinder engine. The Roadster model sold for roughly $1,700 new and remained on sale until 1936.

This 1930 REO Master C Flying Cloud pickup was discovered in Southern California and was treated to a no-expense-spared, Concours-quality frame-off restoration. One of only two known to exist, this REO may have been based on the REO Flying Cloud Brougham passenger car, though there is double that REO manufactured pickups for sale to the public when they built this truck. At the time, auto manufacturers typically built such vehicles for internal use or as prototypes. It is likely this truck was built by either REO or an outside contractor.

Because the truck's original engine could not be rebuilt, a complete, unrestored, original REO Flying Cloud was purchased to use as a reference for countless important details and as a source of rare parts.

The 249 cubic-inch inline 6-cylinder L-head engine was rebuilt using aluminum pistons and features original-style Champion spark plugs.

The original truck was in solid condition, but the woodwork that formed the cab's inner structure was rebuilt and much time was invested in making sure the cab was completed with the utmost precision.

After five years of work, the truck was featured in the April 2014 issue of 'Vintage Truck' magazine. It later won second-place overall honors at the 2017 Sacramento Autorama.

By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2017