Righteous Reo heads to Russo and Steele
Russo and Steele has some mighty iron crossing the block, including a triumverate of 1970 Chevelles (the first LS6 delivered in the U.S., the latest known LS6 in existance, and…
Russo and Steele has some mighty iron crossing the block, including a triumverate of 1970 Chevelles (the first LS6 delivered in the U.S., the latest known LS6 in existance, and a Motion Performance LS6), but the vehicle I am most excited to watch cross the block thus far is the half-ton 1935 Reo Speedwagon Model 6AP pickup consigned to Saturday (Jan. 21) of the sale.
This truck was pictured last year in Old Cars Weekly with Michael Lamm's coverage of the Ironstone Concours, and I've been drawn to it since.They're rare, and I can say I've only seen one other Speed Wagon of this style, and that was at Hershey a few years ago. The seller of this truck says only 10 of the style are known to exist, and this is the only known 1935 model.
Aside from its rarity, the truck is unique with a matching back story. The seller said it was found languishing in a field after 30 years and brought back to life for his father. When re-built, the truck was made to look stock, but with modern features such as a 350-cid V-8, 700R4 overdrive automatic transmission, Ford Mustang II independent disc brake front suspension on the original chassis and a Ford 8-inch rear axle.
I usually prefer my 1930s vehicles bone stock, but this one looks right and has the right touches to make it driveable to shows. I'll bet bidders will agree.
Related resources:
Find Reo in the book Semi-Trucks of the 1950s
Angelo Van Bogart is the editor of Old Cars magazine and wrote the column "Hot Wheels Hunting" for Toy Cars & Models magazine for several years. He has authored several books including "Hot Wheels 40 Years," "Hot Wheels Classics: The Redline Era" and "Cadillac: 100 Years of Innovation." His 2023 book "Inside the Duesenberg SSJ" is his latest. He can be reached at avanbogart@aimmedia.com
