Lots of old cars become famous, for one reason or another. And some seem to become famous for no good reason at all, much to the chagrin of some of us. But a whole lot of other vehicles just fade away and are forgotten, only to be rediscovered when one pops up for sale, like some ancient and thought-to-be-extinct sea creature caught in a fisherman’s net.
We had one vehicle yesterday that sort of fit that description; how many of you remembered that Pontiac sold its own version of the Chevette called the T1000? The little Pontiac was in no way ready for prime-time, with its half-finished engine transplant and its wiring woes, but it still appealed to enough of you to give it a win over that greasy-kid’s-stuff Civic.
I have to agree. I never really warmed to the modded Civic idea, maybe because so many members of that crowd were absolutely insufferable. I can’t say IÂ want the Pontiac either, but it could be fun with the right attitude. I am a simple creature; given the choice, I’d rather have the one that can do righteous donuts in an empty field.
Today, we’re going to look at two very rare vehicles. You won’t find owner’s clubs for these; it was hard enough tracking down information about them on the internet. (And when I looked them up, it looks like Barnfinds.com beat me to the punch on both of them, but I’m going to use them anyway.) It will take a Herculean effort to whip either one of them into shape, but if you are the person to put in that effort, you’ll be rewarded with a truly unique vehicle. Let’s take a look at what you’ve got to work with.
1948 REO Speed Wagon – $3,800
Engine/drivetrain: 245 cubic inch flathead inline 6, four-speed manual, RWD
Location: Elizabeth, CO
Odometer reading: 39,000 miles
Operational status: Engine turns over but won’t start
Naming a band is a tricky thing. You have to come up with something unique, without being too weird. Some bands take the easy way out, and name themselves after the place they’re from: Chicago, Boston, Kansas, et cetera. Others go a little too far down the weird path: Toad The Wet Sprocket, for example, or King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. Back in the 1960s, a bunch of kids from Champaign, Illinois formed a band, and decided to name it after a truck. This truck, in fact. Did you know the band was named after a truck? You do now.
REO stands for Ransom Eli Olds, an early automotive entrepreneur whose first car company became one of the first divisions of General Motors. In 1905, he started a new company, and in 1915, that company introduced a new truck line, the Speed Wagon. The truck is powered by REO’s “Gold Crown” flathead inline six, displacing 245 cubic inches. This one hasn’t run in a long time, but the seller says it turns over freely. These old flatheads are so simple that it shouldn’t be too hard to get it running again. It has a four-speed manual with a granny low gear, and a dually rear axle; this is a one-and-a-half-ton truck, built for serious work. If you’re the type who doesn’t like the tough guys, look elsewhere.
Trucks weren’t fashion statements in 1948, so don’t expect any creature comforts here. You’re lucky the seat has padding. It’s actually in pretty good shape for its age. The floors aren’t rusty, and the dashboard is all there, so I think if you wanted to restore it, it’s entirely possible. And I hope somebody does; one source I found claims there are only about twenty 1948 Speed Wagons left. It would be great if someone would keep on loving this one.
I mean, just look at the nose on this thing! It’s amazing that they put so much style into a farm truck. It looks a little older than 1948, but truck and heavy equipment design often lags behind car design, because their sales aren’t as dependent on styling. (I guess you could say the makers of heavy machinery didn’t roll with the changes.) The result is that this truck has a great art deco-ish feel to it. It would look great all fixed up, but it looks dignified with its current patina, too.
1957 Studebaker Provincial – $3,000
Engine/drivetrain: 259 cubic inch OHV V8, three-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Yucca Valley, CA
Odometer reading: 131,000 miles
Operational status: Hasn’t run in a very long time
And speaking of rare cars from defunct brands, here’s a Studebaker that is so rare that when you Google “1957 Studebaker Provincial,” most of the links you find are about this exact car, or one other. The Provincial, as far as I can tell, seems to have been the wagon form of Studebaker’s Commander line, in the middle of the range, which in 1957 also included the Scotsman, Champion, and President. The other wagon trims available, according to the brochure that the seller thoughtfully posted, were called Parkview and Broadmoor, corresponding to the Champion and President sedans, respectively. Maybe that’s why Studebaker got into trouble; they had too many names for basically the same car.
The Provincial is powered by Studebaker’s own V8, displacing 259 cubic inches according to the brochure. It has a four-barrel carb and would have made 180 horsepower. It’s backed by Studebaker’s three-speed “Flight-O-Matic” transmission, which seems to be related to the Ford Cruise-O-Matic from the same era. This one hasn’t run in a very long time, and it seems to have bounced around between owners in this state for a while – without transferring the title. Check the “chain of custody” of those bills of sale carefully before you buy; it’s a real pain in the ass to track it down after the fact. Trust me.
Obviously it needs everything, not just mechanical restoration, and despite its rarity it won’t really be worth a lot when it’s done. But because of that, the pressure is off; you don’t need to keep it original. Fix it up to your liking. Swap out the seats, or learn upholstery and redo it yourself, or whatever. But you’ll need to do something; I don’t think a Mexican blanket thrown over the seat is going to cut it this time.
The good news is that it’s pretty much rust-free; thanks, California weather! There is one patch in the floor in the front, which looks like it was riveted in rather than welded in. You should probably redo that repair properly. The trim and glass all seem to be intact, too, but the rear bumper is inside. I have to point out this car’s tailfins: they’re not very tall, but they’re extremely long. Look how far the tailgate is inset between them. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.
If you want to tackle either of these projects, you’ll be doing it out of love, not for profit. As rare as they are, they’d be hard sells post-restoration. You’d have to find someone else who loves them as much as you do. But I could see a case for keeping either of them looking the same and just fixing them up mechanically. They both look kinda cool as-is. Which one grabs you?
As much as I would love blasting “151 Riverside Drive” through an old-school-pair of Peavey SP-7s in the REO, I’m more interested in the Studebaker as a long slow road-tripper.
I’ll take the REO, get it running good enough, and drive it in the local parade.
I’d need to get a custom paint job on the truck. Something vaguely cookie like…
Oreo Speedwagon
You beautiful, wondrous creature.
*shakes fist*
Mom’s first job out of secretarial school was in the steno-pool for Studebaker.
So it’s the Cadillac-styled Provincial for me
I would go reo but only because I like patina trucks. But could easily be both. The Studebaker looks nice enough my grandfather had a president he drove all over from new. I’ve always had a soft spot for them because of that.
Both of these demand something weird be done to them because, while rare, there is no actual value to them. So, they’re just weird.
I’ve been wanting to set up a mobile book store that goes to the cute little markets and fairs that pop up all over the Northeast. Either of these would be perfect, but I went with the Studebaker because it is more visually interesting, comfortable, and just plain cooler. The truck would be insane overkill, but you could do it up as like a traveling salesman/snake-oil kind of wagon vibe.
Anywho! That Studebaker, painted up nice and neat, great brown leather interior, quite and reliable power from a basic Chevy 350 and a manual, some drawers built into the back for stock. Mount a large roof rack with trunks, a comfy chair, stuff that serves a purpose when set up, but also looks a little insane going down the road. The vibes would be immaculate.
Studebaker all the way. No question. It’d be excellent no matter how restored it was. Plus, $800 is $800.
Today’s is the antithesis of yesterday’s in that I want to save them both, but realistically the Stude is the only one I could actually use.
Looking at that Truck, I’m thinking that “Feeling” that it can’t fight any more is Lock Jaw.
Down vote just for giving me an ear worm I had hoped I had banished in 1986 after it being played on the radio every 5 minutes for what had to be an entire year.