1926 REO Model T-6

In 1904, Ransom E. Olds acrimoniously departed from his first automotive concern, the Olds Motor Vehicle Company, splitting from his backers due to their intention to cease manufacture of his successful Curved Dash single-cylinder runabout. The curved-dash Oldsmobile was America's best-selling car, but Ransom's principal investor, Samuel Smith, and his sons, Frederic and Angus, who were managing the Olds Motor Works, wanted to take the company in a new direction, embracing the potential for a larger and more expensive automobile. Olds was adamantly committed to more economical motorcars.

After his departure, Olds soon launched another company, the R.E. Olds Company, which was soon fraught with lawsuits, counter-claims, and anger. The name of the new company caused controversy with his former partners crying foul, claiming they had purchased the rights to his name. This was true, however, they had not purchased his initials, so the REO Motor Car Company was formed in 1905.

The first automobile under the REO banner was a twin-cylinder, 16-horsepower 5-passenger Tonneau priced at $1,250, appeared at the New York Auto Show and proved an instant success. This was quickly followed by a smaller one-cylinder Runabout priced at $650, and many more models followed. REO sales surged ahead of Oldsmobile's in 1906 as they became known for their high quality and affordable vehicles. Single-cylinder cars were continued until 1910, alongside the twin, until both were superseded by four-cylinder models.

REO T6 Series
REO introduced its first six-cylinder model in 1916, and the second generation of the six followed in 1920 and was known as the T6 Series. The 239.4 cubic-inch F-head inline six-cylinder engine offered 50 horsepower and would be the company's mainstay for their passenger car lineup through 1926. Engineering improvements and updates were ongoing, with a transmission lock introduced for 1923, a 2-inch lower silhouette and improved brakes for 1924, optional disc wheels for 1925, and redesigned fenders and running boards in 1926. That was also the same year that the fuel tank filler was relocated to the right side of the car, and the T6 was offered in 11 different body styles and trim levels.

The 1926 REO Model T-6 rested on a 120-inch wheelbase chassis and was offered as a five-passenger tourer ($1,400), a sedan ($1565), a coupe ($1,495), and a roadster ($1,765).

Approximately 13,193 examples of the T-6 were produced that year, a decrease from the previous year's 16,035 units built. Sales would dramatically improve for 1927, with output reaching 33,353 units, and it would be the company's highest year of production.

In the summer of 1936, the production of REO automobiles ended; instead, they focused exclusively on the commercial vehicle market. R.E. Olds resigned from the board chairmanship in 1937 and passed away in 1950.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2024