Vehicle Showcase | R.E. Olds Transportation Museum

Click images below to view the vehicle's full bio.

1906 Mama & Baby REO

The 1906 Baby REO is an identical, working gas-powered 1/4 scale miniature replica of its full-sized Mama. Built as a REO promotional tool for the 1906 model year, Baby REO was the first fully functional miniature gas-powered car ever built. The pair is valued at a priceless amount.

The Baby REO was first unveiled in January 1906 at the National Auto Show in New York's Grand Central Place, it subsequently made a cross country tour visiting dealers' showrooms, fairs, conventions and other auto shows to critical acclaim and enthusiastic reviews.

1953 NASCAR Race Car

In 1953, the NASCAR circuit was dominated by Hudson which won 22 of 37 races that year. This Oldsmobile '88' raced its first NASCAR event on March 8, 1953 at Harnett Speedway in Spring Lake, North Caroline. Driver Dick Passwater drove this car in twelve of the 20 races in his NASCAR career. In this car, Passwater had one win (Charlotte) and nine top ten finishes (six in the top five). This car was gifted to the Museum from Dick Passwater.

The Curved Dash Oldsmobile

The Curved Dash exemplifies the principles that R.E. Olds sought in a automobile. It was relatively simple, affordable, and provided an excellent alternative to its greatest competitor at the time: the horse. Olds was able to promote the vehicle as a form of transportation which was cheaper and more dependable than a horse. The success of the Curved Dash was enough to help the Oft-maligned automobile industry gain legitimacy. The Curved Dash Olds paved the way for later automobile successes such as the Model T.