Olds, Ransom Eli (1864-1950), was a pioneering automobile inventor and manufacturer. Two automobiles were named for him: the Oldsmobile and the Reo (from his initials). Olds was one of only a few early auto manufacturers who made reliable, inexpensive cars for the common people.
Olds was born on June 3, 1864, in Geneva, Ohio. He dropped out of high school and went into his family’s steam engine business. In 1887, Olds adapted a steam engine to a three-wheeled vehicle. He gradually improved the design. Olds became convinced that steam-powered cars had a limited future. He then experimented with internal combustion engines.
In 1897, Olds secured a patent for a carriage with a gasoline engine. In 1899, he moved to Detroit and established the Olds Motor Works. The company introduced the Curved Dash Oldsmobile in 1901. By 1904, Olds Motor Works assembled more than 5,000 cars, making it the world’s largest motorcar manufacturer. Workers at Olds’s factories assembled cars on moving platforms, similar to the assembly lines later made famous by the American automobile manufacturer Henry Ford.
In 1904, Olds left Olds Motor Works. That same year, he founded the Reo Motor Car Company. He served as its president and chairman before retiring in 1936. Olds died on Aug. 26, 1950.
See also Automobile (History) .
