Did you know that the recently “discontinued” Oldsmobile Division of General Motors was named for its founder, Ransom Eli Olds? His initials “REO” were also used as a nameplate for another car company and later, a company that built the “REO” line of medium and heavy trucks. Even more interesting are Ransom Olds’ ties to the state of Florida, and in particular, to the Daytona Beach area. Turns out that Olds, a Lansing, Michigan native, liked the balmy Florida weather so much that after moving to this area in 1913, he built a hotel/apartment building in Daytona Beach.. That building stands today and is located on Ridgewood Avenue (U.S. Highway 1), just south of U.S. 92, better known now as International Speedway Boulevard. It is currently being used as a retirement home for the elderly. Ransom E. Olds later sold the building and, with the proceeds, bought 34.541 acres of property in the Tampa Bay area. He planned to build a new community for 100,000 people and call it “R.E. Olds On-The-Bay.” (He was a big fan of naming things after himself!) His dream never fully materialized, and he abandoned the project in 1923 after dumping $4.5 million dollars into it! The town, however, refused to die, and today it’s known as “Oldsmar.” It at one time was home to Twin City Dragway and was once owned by “Big Daddy” Don Garlits, who used the track for private test runs in his “Swamp Rat” dragsters. (Source: Autoweek Magazine)