It wasn't just this new style of truck that set the Speed-Wagon apart though, as it was hailed as one of the highest quality trucks of its day, with impressive reliability, great hauling power, and long lasting durability. As a result, the REO Speed-Wagon is considered by many to be the first true pickup truck, combining the industrial style and strength of existing trucks, with a daily-driver personal car. Revolutionizing the truck market, the Speed-Wagon was an instant success.Ĭontext is important, as what we know as a pickup truck was virtually non-existent in 1915. 5 years later, the truck side of REO would introduce their greatest hit - the Speed-Wagon. While REO's cars saw success, the groundwork for their biggest achievement was set in 1910 when the REO Motor Truck Company was founded as a subsidiary of REO Motor Car Company. Seeing continued success building innovative and high quality cars, REO had begun to make a name for themselves as a respected car maker and brand. Selling 2,458 cars in 1906, REO proudly stuck it to Oldsmobile, who in turn had only sold 1,600 cars that same year. More importantly, though, REO quickly became more profitable than Oldsmobile. This move paid off, and REO's cars were an instant success, hailed for their quality and innovation. Olds founded the REO Motor Car Company and began work on even better cars than he had made at Oldsmobile.
Not dissuaded from the auto industry, R.E.
Olds had left his namesake company, mainly out of spite due to conflicts with the newly appointed company president. Initially, the cars Olds Motor Vehicle co-produced were known as "Oldsmobiles," but come 1908, General Motors acquired the company, and the entire brand was now referred to simply as Oldsmobile.ģ years prior to this acquisition though, R.E. Olds led the company to produce some seriously innovative vehicles for the time, including the Olds Curved Dash which was affordable for the average person, and genuinely advanced when compared to other cars of its day. Founded in 1897 as the Olds Motor Vehicle Company, R.E. Olds who had founded what became the company known as Oldsmobile years before creating REO. If the surname "Olds" sounds familiar, there's a good reason for that, as indeed, it was also R.E.
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