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Tuesday, September 2, 2008, the R. E. Olds Transportation Museum proudly announced the arrival of the 1906 Mama and Baby REO. |
The 1906 Baby REO is an
identical, working
gas-powered 1/2 scale miniature replica
of its full-sized Mama. |
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| 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. |
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| Mama and Baby were 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 |
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On the right of the R. E. Olds cut out above is a photo of the Olds grandchildren who are posing in the Baby REO soon after it was built. The children were Olds Anderson who is behind the wheel and Peggy and Edward Roe.
It looks like Olds Anderson is ready to start the engine and take his cousins for a ride.
Further down this page is a photo taken almost 50 years later with the great grandchildren of R. E. Olds. |
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| Below, the current owners of the Mama and Baby REO, Peter and Debbie (Anderson) Stephens pose with the Baby REO which they have returned to family ownership. |
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The Baby REO was leased to the Barnum & Bailey Circus and the Ringling Brothers Circus for promotional stunts and circus acts. |
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Baby REO was used for 30 years as an exhibit at fairs and conventions but was 'lost' in 1936. In anticipation of REO's 50th Anniversary, the company started a nationwide search for Baby REO. It was found in 1954 in Altoona, PA in a REO truck dealer's collection and was returned to Lansing for the first time in nearly 50 years. It went on temporary display in the REO corporate offices but was again lost until the mid 1980s when Dick Teague, a noted car designer found it in Mississippi. Mama and Baby REO have only traveled as an identical pair once since the late 1980's. |
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This is a photo of Olds Anderson (grandson to RE Olds) and his wife Doris. Olds Anderson was behind the wheel of the Baby REO in the second photo on this page. About fifty years later his daughter Debbie Anderson (Stephens) in the photo to the left is behind the wheel. The other girl standing beside the car is Diane Anderson (Tarpoff), a daughter of Olds and Doris. A third daughter, Katrina, was born later. The photo was taken in the basement of the REO offices in Lansing; one of the few times the Baby was actually in Lansing. Look below for a recent picture of the new owners Peter and Debbie Stephens. |
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In mid-August 2008, Mama and Baby were auctioned in Pebble Beach, CA and were purchased by Peter and Debbie Stephens, the great-granddaughter of Ransom Eli Olds and her husband. The Stephens are loaning the cars to the R. E. Olds Transportation Museum in Lansing on a long-term basis. The family is pleased to have the pair back together and in an ideal place for display. |
"We are pleased that after 102 years of traveling, Baby and Mama REO have finally come home to Lansing," said Peter and Debbie Stephens of Dublin, Ohio. "This important part of Lansing's history belongs at the R. E. Olds Transportation Museum and we can think of no place better for them to reside into retirement. It is our hope that the people of Lansing and Michigan will come to the Museum and be reminded of the many contributions of this city and, most importantly, R.E. Olds who put Lansing and the automobile industry on the map."
In the recent photo on the right are Peter and Debbie Anderson Stephens (Ransom Old's great granddaughter), and Doris Anderson wife of Olds Anderson (grandson of Ransom). |
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| Listed as one of the Top Ten car auctions this year in Pebble Beach, Mama and Baby REO were marketed by Gooding & Company as "The most important item of automobilia ever to be offered for sale publicly." |
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The current challenge for the Museum crew is to get the Baby REO's motor working mechanically. And, just who is going to drive this little beauty? |
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| The REOs can be viewed during regular Museum hours. Special accommodations for groups and special events can be made by calling the Museum,
(517) 372-0529. |
Updated 10/22/08 |
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