Speedway Motors Museum of American Speed
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        • #21 Pearson Mercury
        • #26 Curtis Turner 1956 Ford Sunliner
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        • 1908 REO
        • 1886 Benz Replica
        • 1912 Indian Board Track Racer
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      • Miller Room >
        • 272 ci Miller DOHC v-16
        • 1932 Miller 308 c.i. DOHC V-8
        • 1953 Studebaker DOHC V-8
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      • Open Wheel >
        • Moser
        • Rodeck 406 Engine
        • 220 Offenhauser
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        • 1913 Chalmers
        • Plymouth Weslake
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        • Foyt DOHC Indy Engine
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        • 2002 Toyota RV8F CART engine
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        • 1935 Studebaker Straight-8
        • Fueling Oldsmobile Indy Engine
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        • 1915 Wilbee V-8 Engine
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        • Hudson Twin H-Power 6 Cylinder
        • 1923 Chevrolet Series M
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        • Alfa Romeo Twin Cam Engine
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        • Robert Roof
        • Leo Goossen
      • Speedway Motors Drivers >
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        • Bob Coulter
        • Tim Schulz
        • Grady Wade
        • Larry Dickson
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        • Ray Lee Goodwin
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        • Woody Brinkman
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1908 REO

   ​August Fischer bought this car new in 1908 for $500.  It was one of the first cars in Gothenburg.  Fisher had trouble learning to drive it since the owner’s manual was written in English, and he could only read and write German.
 
   At some point a garage owner by the name of Charlie Sandquist apparently took ownership.
   In 1918 he traded the Reo to Arnt Ballmer, of Cozad, for an Apperson.  Ballmer gave the Reo to his two sons, Herb, 14, and Arthur, 8.  To say they were envy of all their school mates would a gross understatement.

​   Eventually Arthur relinquished his half ownership to Herb.  Herb kept the car, driving it in parades and such until his death in 1986.  Herb’s daughter, Glenda Ballmer-France, then took over as caretaker. 

   When Glenda Ballmer-France passed away in 2007, the car was auctioned off. Ballmer-France family member, Mark France bought it for $16,000. 

 
   Mark France donated the car to the Speedway Motors Museum in 2016 ending the family ownership after 98 years.
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Employee Login
  • Home
  • About
    • History
  • Displays
    • Vehicles >
      • Open Wheel >
        • 1935 Miller-Ford
        • Mechanical Rabbit
        • Johnny Lightning Special
        • #8 Blue Crown Spark Plug Special
        • #45 “The Pup” Champ Car
        • Wolfgang #4 Sprint Car
        • #4 LeFevre Dirt Champ Car
        • Opperman's 4x Sprint Car
        • #1 Dunseth Sprint Car
        • #5 Randol Offy
        • 4x Sedan
        • Wolfgang 4x Sprint car
        • 4x Offset Roadster
        • #43 Christie Miller
        • #57 Plymouth STP
        • Blue Crown Special
        • Tamale Wagon
        • #11 Kinser Sprint Car
        • #1 Kodiak Special
        • Channel-Lock Special
        • Stealth Special
        • Andy Gump Sprint Car
        • #94 Kenny Weld Sprint Car
        • Black Deuce
        • #1 Delrose Holt Silver Crown
        • #30 P.O.B Sprint Car
      • Indy Pit >
        • #54 Chicago Rawhide Special
        • #81 Central Excavating Special
        • 1914 Cornelian
      • Music Room >
        • Lively Set Car
      • Bill's Garage >
        • 1953 Corvette
        • Hedy Lamarr's 1958 Cadillac
        • 1920 Model T Ford Hot Rod
        • Lady Luck T-Bucket
        • 1949 Kurtis Sports Car
        • Jack Beck's Alfa Romeo
        • 8 Ball Hudson
        • Ariel Square Four Motorcycle
        • Turbine Powered Daytona Boss
        • 2003 Honest Charley's Flathead Motorcycle
        • #2 Harley-Davidson Motorcycle
        • Coors Extra Gold "32
        • The Dale Car
      • Land Speed >
        • MacKichan-Schulz Streamliner
        • Rossi's 1927 T Cosworth
        • Eelco Wee Eel II
        • #494 Model A Streamliner
        • #43 Creel Streamliner
        • Ron Main's Flatfire Streamliner
        • HAL Dry Lakes Roadster
        • Art Gerrick's Dry Lakes Car
        • 1933 Chevy Streamliner
      • Safety >
        • Jack Petty Ford
      • Show Cars >
        • Bergler's 'More Aggravation'
        • Red Baron
        • 1934 "Sweet Dreams" Ford Roadster
        • "Big Daddy" Roth's Outlaw Tribute
        • 1937 Studebaker Extremeliner
        • Boothill Express
        • Fahrner's X-Ray Roadster
        • Goldbrick
        • Venus
        • Zausner & Moal Speedway Special
      • Luxury Cars >
        • Tucker
        • Duesenberg Model J
        • Essence of Bucciali
      • Legends in Racing >
        • '65 Mustang GT
        • Shelby Series 1 Roadster
        • Pumpkin Seed
      • Dragsters >
        • GMC Dragter
        • Tony Nancy Wedge II
        • 303 Roadtser
        • Smaldino & Yates "Fargo" Dragster
        • E.J. Potter's "Whizzer" Drag Bike
      • NASCAR >
        • #21 Pearson Mercury
        • #26 Curtis Turner 1956 Ford Sunliner
        • 1956 Pontiac Sedan
        • Robert Yates Racing Ford
        • #9 Kasey Kahne
      • Le Mans >
        • Cadillac LMP Le Mans Prototype
      • Model T >
        • Montier Ford
        • 5 Millionth Ford
        • Lloyd Fisher Fronty Race Car & Hauler
        • #6 Voboril Brothers
        • Craig-Hunt T-Powered Race Car
        • The Galvanized Bullet
        • Twin-Engine Model T Speedster
        • Spruce Deuce
        • Mercury Speedster
        • Edsel's Hot Rod
        • Fronty-Ford #27
        • 1908 REO
        • 1886 Benz Replica
        • 1912 Indian Board Track Racer
      • Model A and B >
        • ​1931 Model A Coupe
        • Hy-Point Special
        • Red Devil Pickup
      • Flathead Ford V-8 >
        • 1950's Roaring Roadster
      • Orphan Engines (Misc.) >
        • #26 Miller Fertilizer Special
        • #60 Super Modified
        • Arnold's Auto Wrecking Jalopy
        • #2 Ranger Sprint Car
      • Quarter Midgets >
        • Micro-Sprint #95
        • 1959 Moss (1/2) Midget
        • TQ Midget
        • Offyette Quarter Midget
        • Elvis's Quarter Midget
        • Dreyer Junior Racers
        • #8 June Bug
      • Midget Racers >
        • Lloyd Axel #5
        • Edmunds-Sesco Midget
        • #97 Henderson
        • #46 Kurtis Kraft Offenhauser
        • #1 Edmunds-Kenyen
        • #10 Lynch Offy
        • #1 Bardahl Special
        • #4 Ramada Inn Offy
        • #76 Honker
        • #4 Rex Mays Offy
        • #44 Ed's Auto V8-60
        • Lewis-Yeley Midget
        • Wilke-Pak Mopar
        • #8 Reichenbach SESCO Midget
        • #78 Red Caruthers Midget
    • Engines >
      • Miller Room >
        • 272 ci Miller DOHC v-16
        • 1932 Miller 308 c.i. DOHC V-8
        • 1953 Studebaker DOHC V-8
        • Miller DOHC 200 c.i. 4 Cylinder engine
      • Open Wheel >
        • Moser
        • Rodeck 406 Engine
        • 220 Offenhauser
        • Robert Roof SOHC
        • Rajo-Lencki 4
        • Gallivan DOHC
        • 1913 Chalmers
        • Plymouth Weslake
        • Voelker 6
        • Foyt DOHC Indy Engine
      • Indy Pit >
        • 2002 Toyota RV8F CART engine
        • Cosworth DFX Indy Engine
        • Mercedes Indy Engine
        • Brayton V-8 Indy Engine
        • Drake V8
        • Fronty-Ford "DO" Engine
        • 1935 Studebaker Straight-8
        • Fueling Oldsmobile Indy Engine
        • Weslake Chevy Conversion
        • Gurney-Eagle Ford Indy Engine
        • Supercharged Offy 110
      • Bill's Garage >
        • 1915 Wilbee V-8 Engine
      • Land Speed >
        • Ron Main's Flat Fire
        • MacKichan-Schulz 302 CID Chevrolet
      • Luxury Car Engines >
        • 1930 Cadillac V-16
      • Legends in Racing >
        • Yunick Twin Turbo
      • Model T >
        • HAL Akron-Hed
      • Model A and B >
        • HAL SOHC
      • Flathead Ford V-8 >
        • V-8 60 Ardun OHV Conversion Display
        • Tornado OHV Conversion
        • Robertson Flathead
        • V-8 Ford Birner
        • Ford Alexander
      • Orphan Engines (Misc.) >
        • Hudson Twin H-Power 6 Cylinder
        • 1923 Chevrolet Series M
        • Sweet 16 Chevrolet
        • Hispano-Suiza Engine
        • 1911 Reynolds Rotary Valve 4-Cyl. Engine
        • Alfa Romeo Twin Cam Engine
        • Bugatti Type B Engine
        • Scheel Rotary Valve Head
        • The "Cheater" Manifold
        • Chevy Twin Turbo
      • Midget Racers >
        • SESCO Engines
        • V-4 Cylinder Chevrolet Wilson
        • 2-Cylinder Offy
        • Stapp Engine
        • SCAT Engine
        • V-8 Cylinder Oldsmobile 215
        • Popp SOHC
        • Marchese DOHC
        • Simonek Engine
    • People >
      • Famous Builders >
        • A.J. Watson
        • Harry A. Miller
        • Ed Iskendarian
        • Stu Hilborn
        • Mickey Thompson
        • Smokey Yunick
        • Carroll Shelby
        • Vic Edelbrock Sr.
        • Robert Roof
        • Leo Goossen
      • Speedway Motors Drivers >
        • Jan Opperman
        • Doug Wolfgang
        • Joe Saldana
        • Cheryl Glass
        • Tiny Lund
        • Lloyd Beckman
        • Cliff Sealock
        • Don Brown
        • Keith Hightshoe
        • Bob Coulter
        • Tim Schulz
        • Grady Wade
        • Larry Dickson
        • Howdy Williams
        • Jay Woodside
        • John Wilkinson
        • Ray Lee Goodwin
        • Don Droud Jr.
        • Frank Brennfoerder
        • Woody Brinkman
        • Bill Utz
        • Ed Bowes
        • Harold Leep
        • Thad Dosher
        • Roy Bryant
        • Dick Sutcliffe
        • Don Maxwell
        • Danny Wallace
        • Lonnie Jensen
        • Jerry Stone
        • John Gerloff
        • Bob Burdick
        • Shane Carson
        • John Larson
        • Ed Leavitt
        • John MacKichan
        • Bill Smith
        • Greg Weld
        • Gordon Woolley
        • Kyle Berck
    • Toys, Etc. >
      • Buck Rogers
      • Lunch Boxes
      • Pedal Cars
      • Tether Cars
      • Soap Box Derby
      • Cookie Jars
      • Car Mascots
      • Taxi
      • Car Club Plaques
    • Safety Display
  • Events
    • Cars & Coffee
    • Speedsters Trials & Reunion
    • Plan Your Event
  • Get Involved
    • Donate
    • Membership
  • Contact
  • Visit
    • Harvest Hosts
    • School Field Trips
    • FAQ
  • Shop