1915 REO The Fifth

Ransom E. Olds founded Oldsmobile in 1897 and by 1903 it was the top-selling car company in the United States. Following a dispute with sales manager Frederick Smith, Mr. Olds left his namesake company in 1904, and within a year, had formed the REO Motor Car Company based in Lansing, Michigan. The company was originally going to be called 'R. E. Olds Motor Car Company', but the owners of his previous company, then called Olds Motor Works, objected and threatened legal action due to the confusion in the similarities. So Mr. Olds changed the name to his initials and Olds Motor Works soon adopted the popular name of its vehicles, Oldsmobile.

The line of high-quality cars produced by REO was in high demand, and by 1907 the company had gross sales of $4.5 million, making it one of the top four wealthiest automobile manufacturers in the U.S. When emerging companies like Ford and General Motors began eroding their car sales, REO added a truck manufacturing division, which would ultimately bring them lasting fame. In 1915, they introduced an open-backed body style, regarded as the forerunner of the modern-day pickup truck. It used a 27 horsepower external-valve four-cylinder engine backed by a three-speed manual transmission with relatively tall gearing giving it higher-than-average on-road speeds, inspiring its now-famous name: The REO Speed Wagon.

Ransom Eli Olds was 48 years old in 1912 and ready to depart the car business. His 'Farewell Car' was the 'REO the Fifth,' an advanced car and the culmination of R.E.'s quarter-century in the car business. Instead of an outboard lever, it featured an advanced centrally mounted sliding gear transmission and pedal for both the service and parking brakes. Engaging the clutch halfway activated the clutch and when fully engaged, operated the brake.

The REO 'The Fifth' was introduced in 1912 rested on a 112-inch wheelbase and powered by an F-head four-cylinder engine with a 240.5 cubic-inch displacement and delivering 35 horsepower. It had a solid front axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs and a live rear axle with three-quarter elliptic leaf springs. Rear-wheel mechanical drum brakes provided the stopping power. Body styles included a roadster, runabout, and five-passenger Tourer with prices ranging from $1,000 to $1,050. Prices increased in 1913 and 1914, but 1915 brought a price reduction and a slightly larger wheelbase size of 115-inches. The Tourer was priced at $1,050, the roadster at $1,000, and the newly introduced coupe at $1,575.

Production of the REO 'The Fifth' would continue through 1919. REO offered models solely with four-cylinder power from 1911 through 1915, when a six-cylinder option joined the range. By 1920, only the six-cylinder model remained. Six-cylinder power would continue to be the sole powerplant through 1936 when the company abandoned the manufacture of automobiles to concentrate on trucks.

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2021