Perhaps you only identify REO Speedwagon as the rock band, formed in the late 1960s, that achieved significant commercial success in the 1980s. However, the group derived its name from the revolutionary Reo Speedwagon, introduced in 1915, that created an entire new class of commercial vehicle—the Speed Truck. Professionally researched and engaging, this book will acquaint you with all the products of the business established by Ransom E. Olds in 1904. It also tells the story of the people who made, sold, and used those products. The final chapter offers sometimes poignant interviews to bring to life that part of the story. Replete with 134 black-and-white photos and illustrations, the book also includes a six-page color photo section highlighting 27 restored examples of Reo trucks and buses, as well as one unrestored original. Detail-oriented readers will appreciate the book’s five appendices. One provides 30 pages of Reo and Diamond Reo truck specifications from 1912 through the Diamond Reo Giant trucks in the late 1990s. Other appendices provide financial and production data from 1904 through 1975, Reo’s World War II production, registrations by gross vehicle weight class, and truck registrations for Reo and a sampling of competitive manufacturers.

Book Review by Robert Gabrick