Reo Royale

[keiser31]

^Love that coupe!

[alsancle]

Reo Royale article from 1966. 

1966ReoRoyaleArticle.pdf

[alsancle]

Photo courtesy of AMC VP John Conde who had an original collection of Reo memorabilia and brought to us via Chuck Stebbins (see previous post) and Harley Goff.

[edinmass]

Great car. Needs to dump the side mount mirrors, the extra light needs to go also, and obviously add white walls.

[alsancle]

The tires that are on the car remind of how you can't buy anything like what the cars were originally equipped with.

 

Here is a coupe from the same collection.  I believe the location is the Hotel Olds in Lansing.

 

[alsancle]

Here is the Victoria Coupe, also from the same collection.

 

[alsancle]

An interesting detail from the convertible coupe is this show only badge mounted between the headlights.

 

[edinmass]

Could the badge be the owner initials? Common on Packard and Pierce.

[alsancle]

1 hour ago, edinmass said:

Could the badge be the owner initials? Common on Packard and Pierce.

 

I think the factory still owned the cars in these pictures.

[alsancle]

The only long wheelbase 8-52 known to exist.

 

 

[Mark Simmons]

What year is the car in post #210 ?  She's a good looking lump of coal and will be a dazzling diamond when done. Wow just wow !!!

 

[edinmass]

I like the 8-52 even though the lines are not perfect. Maybe it the photo angle.  Would love to see it done right. Cool,and unusual car.

[alsancle]

9 hours ago, Mark Simmons said:

What year is the car in post #210 ?  She's a good looking lump of coal and will be a dazzling diamond when done. Wow just wow !!!

 

 

I think all the 8-52s were 1932.

[alsancle]

A picture of a nicely restored Royale Straight Eight.  Notice the heat tube from the carb to the exhaust manifold.  There is a flapper valve that is controlled from the dash that allows warm exhaust air to circulate around the carb.   This seems like a unique feature, anyone ever see it on anything else?

[West Peterson]

So... does the exhaust go back into the engine, too???

[alsancle]

16 minutes ago, West Peterson said:

So... does the exhaust go back into the engine, too???

 

It took me a while to figure it out because just looking at it makes you think that you are just constricting the exhaust when you shut the valve.  But the flow is actually a loop and not a "U".  Shutting the valve forces all the exhaust to go through the carb area and out the pipe between the carb and the exhaust. 

[bruffsup]

any idea of what became of my old coupe? the buyer seems to have disappeared. maybe I have seller's remorse !

[alsancle]

I hope Ed chimes in with how he talked me out of buying it.

 

I think Brian checks in once in a while.  If you peer in the back of this picture from one of his eBay listings I think  you can see it.

[edinmass]

I tried to get you to buy that Duesenberg and you didn't pull the trigger........I figured you were just kicken tires!  If your still hot for a real neat Coupe give me a call, I know where there is a nice 32 Pierce you can buy..........even a trade might work......

[West Peterson]

I really need to visit Brian. His stuff isn't too far from me.

[West Peterson]

On 1/18/2017 at 1:53 PM, alsancle said:

A picture of a nicely restored Royale Straight Eight.  Notice the heat tube from the carb to the exhaust manifold.  There is a flapper valve that is controlled from the dash that allows warm exhaust air to circulate around the carb.   This seems like a unique feature, anyone ever see it on anything else?

 

It appears that Buick used the same type of system. This is from a 1931 Series 90.

[K8096]

Here's a photo from the San Francisco auto show.  Ignore the Pierce Arrows in the foreground.  There are two Royales in the background.   

 

 

Edited February 11, 2017 by K8096 (see edit history)

[K8096]

Here's another view.

 

[K8096]

I submit that the white coupe at the San Francisco auto show could be the same car that Steve saw in SoCal in the 1970's posted earlier in this thread.  How many light colored coupes could there have been on the west coast?   

 

 

Edited February 11, 2017 by K8096 (see edit history)

[alsancle]

I think you might be right Jason.  Great photos!

[alsancle]

And hopefully Ed doesn't see the comment on ignoring the Pierce Arrows.

[K8096]

At least I didn't refer to them as "Brand X"

[alsancle]

One thing that is interesting is that two of them in your last picture have different spare tire covers than any other picture I have seen.  Usually the outer ring is all chrome, but those seem to be painted with a trim ring,

[edinmass]

Ignore a Pierce Arrow? IMPOSSIBLE!  The only reason somebody saved the photo was for the Pierce cars! ? If the Pierce and Reo were driving down the road together it would be easy for the driver of the Reo to ignore the Pierce, as the P-A would be so far ahead as to be out of sight, the Reo driver would not be distracted by the "better car." ?

Edited February 12, 2017 by edinmass (see edit history)

[edinmass]

The auto show photo has a Piece Arrow dealer name in it, from Oakland California. It's a safe bet the Reo dealer was also from the Bay Area. Notice the Reo dealer's  name is different. Interesting to put both those brands head to head in the same area/showroom and or auto show. I wonder if the price differential between the two was enough for them not to be competing against each other. 

Edited February 12, 2017 by edinmass (see edit history)

[alsancle]

Ed, aren't those Model 43's and not 41 or 42?   They would be the same price range as the Royale 2800 bucks or so, correct?

[K8096]

Ed, I have a thought.   Look at the Pierce conv. sedan at the far right of the photo.  This wouldn't be the one Phil Hill's

 aunt bought new and he restored in the 1950's and took to the first Pebble Beach would it?    The one difference I see is the fabric sidemount covers in the 1932 photo versus metal in the 1950's photo, but Phil could have added those when he restored it.   Also, the front top header piece is missing in the 1950's photo, but it could have been rotted and not reinstalled during the refurbishment. 

 

 

 

Edited February 13, 2017 by K8096 (see edit history)

[edinmass]

Phil Hill's aunts car was a 1931 Series 41, special  bodied car copied from a LeBaron Town Car design done by Ralph Roberts.     At least five were built. All the cars in the showroom photos are 1932 Model Pierce cars, series 51,52,53, and 54. The convertiable sedan in the photo could be a semi custom or factory production model. It's hard to tell, but best guess is it's a factory body. The twelves would be way more money than the Reo, the series 54 small eight (there were two different twelves, so they used the small series motor for the eights in 32 as not to compete with themselves on CID among the lines.) price would have been about 3200 and up if memory serves me, but I may be off. Short wheelbase would be 138 on the Pierce, with 142 and 147 also. The Reo Royal would be about 138 right? Just about on par size wise. The Pierce eight small motor was 366 cid, with several,people custom ordering the 385 cid for their cars. Only a few were built with the larger engine that I know about.(Less than five.) 

Edited February 13, 2017 by edinmass (see edit history)

[edinmass]

Here's another 1931 series 41 Pierce, same series, SPLIT WINDSHIELD, no chrome door hinges. It can be difficult to identify Pierce cars, as they did lots of strange things. A car may or may not be a LeBaron, and it takes a trained eye, and often one has to lay back upholstery to see actual body construction to correctly identify who built it......one thing is for sure, most end up with a custom body tag on them when they are restored. I have never seen the Phil Hill car in person, so I am not able to make a definitive id. Interestingly most cars built with split windshields are full customs, but it seems the factory built a handful of cars with them. I have my theories as to why, but that's another story. Just last week I had someone ask me to id a body of a car that there was confusion over, but there were so many changes and alterations to the car it was impossible to tell without taking some of it apart. 

 

Edited February 13, 2017 by edinmass (see edit history)

[edinmass]

Here is a photo of me with my barn find. Another unusual Pierce Arrow that defies description. The paper note on the grill was dated 1970 for an antifreeze check, photo was taken April 2000. Take a stab at identifying the car.......it isn't easy! 30,000 original miles.

Edited February 13, 2017 by edinmass (see edit history)

[trimacar]

I can identify Bob Sands and Ed Minnie, both of them younger versions of their current selves, and I know the car so won't compete in identification!  It's a car that didn't exist until Ed found it!!

[K8096]

Thanks for the education Ed.   

[K8096]

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Edited February 13, 2017 by K8096 (see edit history)

[alsancle]

Ed,

 

1.  Why wasn't all this great Pierce info posted to the Pierce thread?

 

2.  Holy Mackerel Phill Hill's Aunt's car is better looking than the other one you posted.

 

3.  Was your car used for funerals?

 

4.  From what you are saying, the high end Reo and the low end Pierce were sorta in the same ballpark?

[edinmass]

AJ, after I get several hundred miles on a Reo Royal at wide open throttle, I will be happy to make the comparison of the Reo to the P-A. Can you lend me your car for the test?  I am quite sure the Royal and Pierce Eight of 1932 are on par with each other. As soon as you car is done we can drive them side by side for a evaluation. One warning...... my Pierce eats Packards and shxts Cadillac's!