1933 REO Royale Model 35

REO sold fewer than 7,000 REOs of all types during 1931. The Royale series was powered by an eight-cylinder engine that offered 125 horsepower. They were available as a sedan, victoria, coupe, and convertible coupe.

In August 1904 Ransom E. Olds was forced out of the company he had founded, the Olds Motor Works. The firm built the curved dash Oldsmobile and was one of the largest producers of automobiles at that time. Olds immediately started a new company, using his initials to name it the REO Motor Car Company. REO would become a large and well-known manufacturer of automobiles and would prosper into the 1920s. However, in the aftermath of The Great Depression, the production of REO automobiles would cease in 1936.

REO decided to enter the luxury car market in 1931 and retained the services of Amos Northup, the chief designer of Murray Body to style the new cars. The resulting 835 Royale series REOs, powered by a 125-hp straight-eight engine, were some of the most exciting cars on the road in their time, and they are today recognized as true Classics.

by Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2011