History: |
The name Reo, or REO, comes from the initials of the company founder, Ransom E. Olds. The name, Reo Speed Wagon, came about by his vision that faster delivery trucks were needed and he started building the Speed Wagon Line of light trucks as the forerunner of today's pick-up.
This particular Speed Wagon "Camper" was built on a 12 passenger bus chassis and the coach work for the camper/motor home was built in Los Angeles by a company called "Welbilt."
Far ahead of its' time in many ways, the "Camper" had such amenities as a fold out sofa bed under which an awning and camping equipment were stored. It has a pull out "grooming" sink with a pressurized water system. (This was accomplished by running a hair hose between the spare tire and the water holding tank. If the pressure dropped too much, you merely used your tire pump to re-inflate the spare tire to the desired pressure.) There is a separate kitchen sink. The camper came with an "ice box" as well as a four burner stove complete with pot clamps so you could cook while traveling. Notice the side windows can be lowered with tracking screen that drops down as you lower the window. The wood interior of this vehicle is mostly the original African Mahogany, much like the Chris Craft boats of that era.
Yes, this is where the very popular band "Reo SpeedWagon" got it's name from these vehicles along with one other you might recognize, "Diamond Reo."
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