REO Mountaineer Returns to New York 1905 Poster

Ransom E. Olds left the automobile manufacturing company he had started, Olds Motor Works, in 1904. His new endeavor, the Reo Motor Car Company debuted its first vehicle at the New York Automobile Show in January,1905. The REO Mountaineer had a two-cylinder, 16hp engine, right-hand drive and removable front seats (for sleeping). The standard 3-inch windlass (with detachable handle) and special axle-mounts, to keep the auto from sinking too deep when driving into sand and the inevitable mud, made this vehicle almost unstoppable. Percy Megargel and David Fassett declared that, in the Mountaineer, they could accomplish the first round trip journey from New York to San Francisco and back to New York in an automobile. Their prospects were bright for Percy had made a successful coast-to-coast trip and David was a skilled mechanic for REO. They estimated 112 days to achieve this feat, which actually took ten months to finish. From an original 1905 photo by Detroit Publishing Company. All Rights Reserved © 2012 padre art