WOLVERINE

Reo Motor Car Co. (1927-1928)

Lansing, Michigan

This is a Wolverine radiator emblem (1928)      mjs
Size: 66mm wide 52mm high    MM: Unknown (probably D L Auld)

The Wolverine was manufactured by the Reo Motor Car Company as a smaller companion car to the Reo Flying Cloud (see Reo) to compete in the lower priced car market.

The Wolverine Six, introduced in May 1927, was an assembled 50 hp six-cylinder car offered initially as a brougham with cabriolet and sedan styles available in 1928. 

The Wolverine name was discontinued by Reo in December 1928 when Reo changed their Flying Cloud line up. The Wolverine Six was replaced by the Reo Flying Cloud Mate in 1929.

Emblems

The first Wolverine Six radiator emblem was finished in opaque blue enamel with a white enamel "6" and appeared in May 1927, see example below, which may have been originally gold plated. This Wolverine radiator emblem is extremely rare.

This is a Wolverine radiator emblem (1927)    sam
Size: 66mm wide 52mm high   MM: Unknown (possibly D L Auld)

The following is an original un-used example of this Wolverine radiator emblem. This Wolverine 

radiator emblem is also extremely rare.

This is a Wolverine radiator emblem (1927)    tcc
Size: 66mm wide 52mm high   MM: D L Auld

This Wolverine radiator emblem has a flat back with no maker's mark but has an Auld mounting cup device. All other Wolverine radiator emblems that I have seen have the detailed design of the emblem impressed into the back of the emblem and where it is possible to see how the emblem was attached to the radiator there is evidence of an Auld mounting device.

There appears to have been a change to the die used to make the Wolverine radiator emblem later in 1927, as seen in the following photo of a Wolverine radiator emblem in the Smithsonian Automobile Emblem Collection. As well as some minor differences in detail, the most visible change was to make the circumference of the emblem a regular circle, whereas the previous emblem shown earlier above had an irregular circumference. This Wolverine radiator emblem is extremely rare.

This is a Wolverine radiator emblem (1927)    sac
Size: 66mm wide 52mm high   MM: Unknown (possibly D L Auld)

There was a change in color used on the Wolverine radiator emblem in late 1927 or early 1928 to transparent blue enamel with a black enamel "6", see example shown below. This Wolverine radiator emblem is very rare. All examples of this emblem that I have seen were finished in nickel plate.

This is a Wolverine radiator emblem (1927-1928)    mjs
Size:66mm wide 52mm high   MM: Unknown (possibly D L Auld)

The Wolverine radiator emblem was changed again to a transparent red and opaque white enamel "6" version, which is believed to have been introduced for the 1928 model year, see example shown above at the top of this post and again below.  This Wolverine radiator emblem is rare. This emblem usually appears to be un-plated but it was originally gold plated.

This is a Wolverine radiator emblem (1928)    mjs
Size: 66mm wide 52mm high   MM: Unknown (possibly D L Auld)