Alanson P. Brush was an ingenious engineer. He had worked on the first Cadillacs and felt that simplicity and basic materials were the key to reliability and performance. As a result, his Brush automobile, which debuted in 1907, used a wood chassis frame and axles, and rode on solid rubber tires. He was forward-thinking, however, in using coil springs on all four corners, although not in the independent idiom we know today. At $500, the Brush runabout was an attractive proposition. It completed the 2,636-mile Glidden Tour two years later, according to its maker, “in good shape—a lot more than can be said for some of the big cars.”

The Brush Runabout Company fared worse than the car it produced. Merged into Benjamin Briscoe’s United States Motor Company in 1910, it succumbed with the collapse of U.S. Motors in 1911.

Advertised as “Everyman’s Car,” the 1911 Brush Model E was available in several configurations. The basic E was a two-passenger runabout; Model E24 added a covered package compartment at the rear. This model, the E26, had standard headlights and a larger fuel tank, and retailed for $600. The E28 added a third seat at the rear.

This Model E26 Brush has the characteristic hardwood chassis and axles, coil-spring suspension, and left-hand steering, the latter a forward-looking feature in 1911. It is powered by a single-cylinder water-cooled upright engine under the front hood. The headlights are brass acetylene P&J headlamps, with a carbide generator on the running board. It has been carefully restored and presents well in red with black fenders and bold gold striping. It is equipped with a brass windshield and black canvas cape top, the latter with side curtains.

A very rare example of an unusual car, this Brush is almost certainly the only example available in today’s market.