My Ideal of a Car 
Built to Justify Men’s Faith in Me 
By /?. E. Olds, Designer 
Reo the Fifth—My Farewell Car—in every detail marks the best 
I know. And I have spent 25 years in this business. If any man 
can build a better car, he’s a better man than I. 
Not for $1,055 
Many able designers say the best in a 
car can’t be given for $1,055. 
And I almost agree with them. 
Reo the Fifth was not designed to sell 
at this altruistic price. I fear that this 
price, in the long run, is impossible. It 
will doubtless be advanced. 
But this much I assure you: 
So long as I direct the making, this car 
will embody the best I know, regardless 
of price or profit. 
It Decides My Fate 
I have spent 25 years in winning my 
place as a designer of automobiles. I 
have designed 24 models, and built tens 
of thousands of cars. 
It has been a long, hard road. And I, 
like other men, take pride in what I have 
accomplished. 
Reo the Fifth marks the climax. I 
have spent 18 months to make this car 
the capsheaf of my career. 
All I have gained in a lifetime of effort 
is at stake on this car’s performance. And 
for this season, at least, I have complete 
charge of the making. 
So you may be sure that Reo the Fifth 
won’t be skimped to meet a price. 
Price Not Fixed 
The last car I designed—a car smaller 
than this—sold for $1,250. And that was 
considered a marvelous value. 
The cost of materials has fallen since 
then. New machinery has cut our fac¬ 
tory cost. 
We figure this new car will double our 
output—and it will. We also save a great 
deal now by building only one chassis in 
this enormous plant. 
By thus paring our costs, then our 
profits, we got the price down to $1,055. 
And we take pride in this amazing price 
as evidence of our efficiency. 
But this price is based on ideal condi¬ 
tions, and on cost for materials the lowest 
we have had in years. 
So this price is not fixed. Any added 
cost must be added to it. Our contracts 
with dealers all provide for advance. 
We announce this to avoid future mis¬ 
understanding. 
Our Model Factory 
We have built up here what men re¬ 
gard as a model automobile plant. Engi¬ 
neers from everywhere come here to in¬ 
spect it. 
The labor-saving machinery is largely 
of our invention. It was built in our 
shops. 
It gives us utter exactness. It makes 
like parts interchangeable. A'nd it has 
cut labor cost to the minimum. 
In this model factory we build the 
whole car, so no profits go to parts 
makers. 
Our output is enormous, which means 
small overhead expense. Our system is 
perfect. Efficiency here has been worked 
out to the finish. 
Then we are not overcapitalized— 
have no bonded debt. So that factor in 
cost is eliminated. 
We ought to give more than others 
give for the money. We expect to, and 
will. But this initial price, in my esti¬ 
mation, is too low to last. 
30-35 
Horsepower 
Wheel Base 
112 Inches 
Wheels — 
34 Inches 
Demountable 
Rims 
Speed — 
45 Miles per 
Hour 
Made with 2, 
4 and 5 Pas¬ 
senger Bodies 
Reo the Fifth 
$1,055 
Top and windshield not included in price. We equip this car with mohair top, side curtains and slip cover, 
windshield, gas tank and speedometer—all for $100 extra. Self-starter, if wanted, $20 extra. 
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