Holding a prominent place in this exhibit gallery is the 2-seater REO Roadster Coupe 4 cylinder, serial number 1602, manufactured in 1912 in St. Catharines Ontario. This car has been in the Museum’s collection since 1990 and is the only known “made in St. Catharines” 1912 REO Roadster in existence.

The car had belonged to local resident, Jack Riley who had paid $1400-1500 for it new. This was the first or second vehicle made of that model.

The rear fenders of the Canadian model are referred to as torpedo fenders (rather than curving down at the rear they gently curve out at the ends. Usually they went straight back)

The car was restored starting in 1951-52 by local resident Mike Guzei.

When the 1912 REO Roadster Coupe was advertised for sale new in 1913, the car boasted state of the art features such as a speedometer, windshield, a mohair top and curtains, a complete tool kit, parking lamps, and both electric and bulb horns.

The stained glass window hanging above the car in the Museum’s exhibit came from a REO sales office in Hamilton Ontario and was acquired by the Museum before the building was torn down.

Ransom Eli Olds

Born in Lansing, Michigan in 1864. He was the son of a blacksmith. He began working on a steam powered car in 1886 but soon realized how dangerous steam powered vehicles could be. In 1886 he designed and built the first carburetor. In 1896, he designed and built his first gas powered vehicle. In 1899, he invented and built a push-button electric starter. By 1900 he had built his first assembly line to produce his gas powered car.

In 1904, Olds had a disagreement with his board of directors over the direction of the Oldsmobile company – the small vehicle that Olds preferred versus heavier and more luxurious cars that the Board of Directors preferred – and Olds left his own company to move back to Lansing, Michigan. With the loss of their founder, the company went under and was sold to William Durrant who later formed the General Motors Company.

In 1904, Olds started the REO Motor Car Company in Lansing Michigan and by the spring had produced his first prototype of a REO car.

In 1909, REO introduced a 4 cyinder car powered by a 35 HP 226 Cu in (3.7 litre) engine with F-head design (inlet valves in the head and exhausts in the block).

In 1909, Ransom E. Olds formed the REO Motor Car Company of Canada Ltd. and opened its operations in the former Packard Electric plant at the corner of Race and Geneva Streets. At its peak, the company produced 100 vehicles per month including the REO Special produced in 1912 which was used in F.V. “Jack” Haney’s cross-Canada automobile trip. Read more Jack Haney and about about that trip here.

Assembly of the REO automobiles ended in St Catharines in 1913 when operations were relocated to Windsor and then Leaside (Toronto). The company stopped production of automobiles in 1936.

In 1913, the company tried to cut costs by using a press-fiber body which would lighten the body of the car considerably. Unfortunately, the bodies could not be sealed properly and allowed moisture to get between the fibres. And the body parts would swell and not fit properly. This seemed to be the end of the REO company in Canada as it caused all kinds of unexpected costs that the company just couldn’t afford. The company moved back to Lansing Michigan.

The REO never did seem to get back to its former success and never regained the market it had had. 1936 was the final model year for the REO.