Reeves is best known for his eight-wheel, 20-foot long Octoauto, which may seem unconventional today but made perfect sense for the time. In 1911, Reeves modified a 1910 Overland by adding four wheels and creating two sets of four in front and back. Roads in his time were generally horrendous (particularly in rural areas), and since suspension consisted of leaf springs and tire design wasn’t what it is today, passengers felt every bump and pothole. Reeves simply borrowed a design employed on railroad cars, which used quad-wheel “bogies” to distribute the weight and smooth out the ride. According to silodrome.com: “The design incorporated front twin steering coupled with steering by the wheels on the rearmost axle. The forward rear axle had no steering and was the only one that was driven, making this an 8×2. The driven axle was the only one that had drum brakes on each wheel.” 1953–54 Topps World on Wheels trading card. Topps, Inc. The idea worked brilliantly. So much so that few argued when Reeves began calling the odd-looking automobile “the only easy riding car in the world.” The problem was that it cost too much to build. The four-passenger Octoauto—powered by a 40-horse engine—retailed for $3200, which is nearly $100,000 today. No amount of praise or attention could save Reeves’ Octoauto, so he remodeled it—most notably removing two wheels from up front—and in 1912 rebranded it as the Sextoauto. Reeves later took a gamble by building the six-wheeler on a new Stutz chassis, but that only increased the price. Sales were few. Reeves Sexto-Octo Company Reeves never built another car, and he died in 1925, two months before his 61st birthday. Although the Octoauto and Sextoauto were financial failures, and none are known to exist today, there’s no disputing that they were technological marvels, regardless of how many wheels they had.
The Jalopy Journal
