94-year-old REO Flying Cloud discovered in dusty barn but there’s a mystery that needs solving

A REO Flying Cloud dating back to 1931 was found stashed away inside a dusty old barn – and it’s still in one piece.

The REO Motor Car Company was founded all the way back in 1905 by Ransom E. Olds – whose name you may recognize as the founder of Oldsmobile. 

In 1927, REO introduced the Flying Cloud with a production run that lasted until 1936.

Now, almost 100 years on from the Flying Cloud’s original release – one has been rescued from a dusty barn in the US.

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The REO Flying Cloud is an incredibly rare vehicle

To say a REO Flying Cloud is a rare find in 2025 is a bit of an understatement. 

For starters, over the decade of production, fewer than 50,000 Flying Clouds were produced. 

And, of course, the huge passage of time since then means you’re unlikely to stumble across one in your average barn find. 

However, finding decades-old cars can and does happen – a British car enthusiast discovered this a 1921 Talbot-Darracq just last year. 

Meanwhile, back home in the US, this REO Flying Cloud was recently – very carefully – removed from a dust-filled old barn by the team from the Orthman YouTube channel. 

According to the clip, the Flying Cloud had been parked in the barn since 1983 and had been stored away alongside a 1949 Plymouth Suburban.

The vintage vehicle is in good shape despite its age

Incredibly, despite its age and four decades off the road, the Flying Cloud was still in one piece. 

In fact, other than a substantial coating of dust – which you’d expect given it has spent 42 years in a barn – the vintage vehicle looked to be in great shape.

But, there was still a bit of a mystery about what was under the hood.

Originally, it would have come with an L-head inline-six engine, but it’s not clear if that’s been removed, replaced, or left in situ for all these years. 

Without knowing what’s hiding under the hood, it’s impossible to know how much work the Flying Cloud will need to get back up and running – but if it does still have it’s original engine, it’s pretty safe to assume that it’ll no longer turn over.

Unfortunately, the video didn’t reveal a backstory as to how or why the cars ended up parked for so long, but it’s great to see a real piece of automotive history finally being given the chance to see the light of day.

Here’s hoping it gets the full restoration it deserves.