This striking Cadillac Model B was shipped directly to Mexico City, Mexico on 7 November 1904, and delivered to the Mexico Electric Vehicle Company, likely the actual selling dealer. Former owner, the late Les Holden, was told that the buyer was the mayor of the city of Monterrey, and that it remained in his family until 1990. A Colombian gentleman then bought the car, imported it to the United States, and made an unsuccessful attempt to sell it to a Dallas Cadillac dealer. It was eventually offered to Mr. Holden, who acquired the car in 1997 and in 2005 began a painstaking restoration.

In the 15 April 2020 issue of Old Cars Weekly, Mr. Holden noted, “It was a bare chassis, but a complete bare chassis...It had a front axle, an engine, rear end, sprocket, gas tank, transmission, linkages. The hubcaps were there, which was great because it’s a Federal axle and their hubcaps are a little different than American Ball Bearing.” The entire driveline remained in good condition, complete with the original chain, and even the piston was free. Mr. Holden’s painstaking attention to detail involved finding both the front and rear body sections from other original cars, so that the body would be “original Cadillac,” while the fenders and water tank were fabricated, and other components sourced at flea markets. Research into original cars enabled re-creation of the correct upholstery and pinstriping patterns. When the restoration was completed, Mr. Holden took the car for a test drive that he recounted as being somewhat poignant: this was the first drive the Cadillac had taken on American soil, with an American owner.

The excellence of the restoration earned the Cadillac its Antique Automobile Club of America Senior National First Prize in 2009, and it was shown at Amelia Island the following year. It went on to win its class at Pinehurst in 2013, and in 2020 was featured in Mr. Holden’s own words in the Wall Street Journal. The following year, after Mr. Holden’s unfortunate passing, it was acquired by Charles J. Noto and has since been preserved in his distinguished collection.

Still in excellent overall condition, and accompanied by both a reprinted manual and the exhaustively detailed invoices and starting instructions from its Holden ownership, this remains perhaps the most exceptionally restored example of the Model B Cadillac, and surely one of the most thoroughly researched and documented.