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?
No use or space for the farm truck, so the Studebaker gets my vote today.
I picked the Stude just because I think it would “clean up nicely” and I can more easily envision a useful, drivable vehicle as an end result. The REO would be cool for a collector I guess.
I have always wanted to do a truck,a REO would definitely be nice if we pretend I have room for it.
I love oddballs like this. I prefer the truck, but the Stude just makes more sense for my situation. If I had a business that needed a work truck for local use, oh hell yea the REO!
As for the model year of the REO, carmakers pretty much pressed “pause” on design and MFG in 1941. For the first few years of postwar production, they were essentially still producing 1941 models, so it’s very likely that this design dates back to the 30’s.
Studebaker, because of its gear driven cam V8
Studebaker management: Cars are getting long! Our wagon needs to be long, but we can’t afford new wagon roof tooling! Just make the rear fenders a foot longer and we’re good!
Also, I remember the T1000, since that’s what my co-worker/massive crush drove back when I was 20 years old.
Even with the slushbox, I’d rather have that Studebaker. I have no need for a commercial-grade farm truck.
I love me a a Studebaker and I love me a station wagon so my vote was already locked up.
However, I do need to inform you that a) an obscure polka has its very own Wikipedia page (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A4kkij%C3%A4rven_polkka ), with b) a “Military usage” section that c) involves an REO Speedwagon, electrical engineering and Soviet sabotage.
Thank you for sending me down that rabbit hole. I love stuff like that.
I do like me the Studebaker, prefer the larks with no overhang. So hear me out:
That tailgate to rear bumper shelf is WEIRD, but gave me an idea. Cut off the roof from the C-pillar back, keep the rear window, make a rear bed panel move it forward. Cut out the rear bottom tailgate and move it back. BOOM: Fifties Finned Crew Cab Ute.
If I had a use case for the speed wagon, this would be a both day. As it stands, voted Studebaker. I’d turn that thing into a daily.
That’s a great truck, but too big for anything I’d need it for. The wagon is fun in a gaudy way, so it gets my vote.
In high school I worked at the local IGA (grocery store in the midwest) with a guy who LOVED REO Speedwagon. He had a mental disability that limited him to certain jobs within the store, but one that he was a master at was “smacking cans”. In Michigan, we take aluminum cans back with a 10 cent deposit, and we had to process them through a KanSmacker that crushed and counted them by vendor. He would sit back there and just hum REO songs all day smacking cans. Super nice guy, but you could always get his goat by calling them “REO Cheesewagon”. He’d lose his mind over that one, and it became a running joke.
To this day, I can’t see the truck, or hear the band, without inserting “Cheesewagon” into the title.
No Cheesewagon for me today, I’ll take the Studebaker with the sweet rear deck.
As a percentage, I’m going to guess that this site’s readers rank much higher than most in knowing about the truck pre-dating the band. And what a truck – I saw one in a museum years ago. No nonsense, yet stylish at the same time. I would be more than happy taking that on as a project to replace my ’99 F-250 as a work-truck.
That said, I still voted for the Studebaker. That rear-deck goofiness is too much fun to pass up, and it looks like the rear-bumper is sitting in the car. The overall design gives the vibe of flailing-arms in the deep end of the pool, but I still kind of like it. Cleaned up and on the road, it would definitely would be a hit at the local cruise-ins.
Studebaker was definitely mid-flail by the late 50’s. The competition were building longer, lower cars and about the only way Studebaker could afford to keep up was to add about two feet of length after the tailgate.
I’ll give them some credit for trying. The most ungainly of the bunch imho were the “Packard-bakers” with the crazy-catfish grill grafted onto the front.
Despite my 5th grade teacher’s father being one of the studebaker assembly workers, I’ll go with the REO. If I got it running, it would be great for the property we hope to move to. If I didn’t get it running, it would be one hell of a yard ornament.
Stude for me. Love that park bench behind the tailgate.
Huh. I’m aware of the truck REO Speed Wagon as well as the band REO Speed Wagon, but somehow I never made the connection. I’m slow, I guess.
I like the idea of bands named after cars, particularly old ones with weird names. I’m going to make a prediction – in 2050 there will be a band called Toyota bZ4x, obviously pronounced Toyota Busy Forks. As for the music they play, it will be a weird mashup of K-pop, country, and death metal. They will not be commercially successful but will have a small but dedicated fan base. This I have foretold.
For voting purposes, I went with the truck. I love old trucks. Any truck built between 1920 and 1990 is probably something I will be interested in. Plus, old flatbed trucks are under appreciated. It would be great if someone fixed this up and brought it to car shows.
As much as I’d love to own an actual REO Speedwagon, I have no use for a giant farm truck and no place to put it. The Studebaker is every bit as unique and just really cool. Since we’re dealing in imaginary dollars, I’ll put enough of them into it to make it nice to drive around in and enjoy the hell out of my Costco runs. Going Provincial.
Two great choices today! I’ll take the REO but wouldn’t be unhappy with the Stud either
My grandparents had a ’57 Studebaker Scotsman when I was a kid, so that one gets my nostalgia vote. That rear overhang situation is bonkers, but it kind of makes sense when you realize that the 1957-58 Studebakers had new front and rear ends grafted onto a 1953 center section. Had to look “longer, lower, wider” without changing the hard points. The much smaller ’59 Lark used the exact same greenhouse as this full-size ’57.
The Scotsman was the most aggressively cost reduced model you could imagine and it gets double points for taking its name from a negative cultural stereotype (Scots are derided as famously frugal/cheap. It’s probably something the English cooked up because class was/is everything – and Calvin, of course – and it’s hard for the locals to prosper when the Crown is extracting all the good stuff (see: Irish, association with potatoes, contrast with who had the best farmland in Eire during that time)
I can’t believe the Pontiac won yesterday. I mean, I sort of understand the logic of it, but still…
Today, let me say that I am in no way emotionally (or physically) prepared to do the kind of work required to get either of these cars back on the road, nor am I likely to write a big check to someone to do it for me over a period of months. With that said, though I love the Speed Wagon’s looks, what would I do with it after it was running? Thus, I chose the Studebaker, even though I already daily a slightly ratty old station wagon (my Volvo 245, now with bits of fresh duct tape on it since it rained the other night).
The tailgate/fins/rear ‘deck’ is wild, and doesn’t strike me as very practical… yes, you could sit on it like a split tailgate, but you’d be surrounded on both sides by those giant flying butress tail fins, so I doubt it’d seem comfortable. Still, once a loveseat from Ikea’s ‘As Is’ section has been bolted in, replacing the front bench, with seat belts somehow, it looks like it’d be fine for errands. 🙂
Big old trucks like this are awesome, and by that I don’t just mean “cool”, I mean they are awe-inspiring when you get up close and really learn their personality. This thing is probably drivable as-is once you get it fired and go over the brakes and bearings and stuff. I wouldn’t even bother painting it, it looks fantastic.
Today would have been a good day for a both option. The Stude would make a great resto-mod with a Coyote swap backed by a Tremec T-6. That “back porch” behind the rear gate would be perfect for car shows and tailgating at football games. The REO I would drop a Cummins 6.7 in. Leave the patina, completely redo the wooden bed. Might have to swap the wheels too, are those split rims?
That truck is perfect boomer bait, and I don’t mean that derisively at all. It’s the perfect vehicle to pull up to a small town car meet with a lawn chair in tow and sit around talking to people about how REO Speed Wagon was a truck before it was a band. If anyone here has a recently-retired dad, go buy the REO and gift it to him, it’ll be worth it.
I don’t have room to park the REO, so I guess it’d be the Studebaker. Except I’d want to cut off that useless rear overhang (“Provincial?” “Parkview?” they should’ve gone with “Parkbench”) which would be a shame especially since I could just buy a Lark.
I picked it because of the weird overhang on the back. I could see myself road tripping in it with my bike or other cargo stowed on that little bed in the back.
Except I’d want to cut off that useless rear overhang…
What?!? That’s the best part! Just add a couple of grab handles to the rear of the roof and force your bodyguards to hang on as you speed through your banana republic.
I was never a big fan of REO Speedwagon, but I do like Studebaker! I think I have the mechanical ability to get both vehicles on the road, but I doubt I would actually follow through with the truck because I have no use for it. The Studebaker could be an ice cream getter/ diving board.