Few automobiles capture the dawn of the American motor car quite like this remarkable 1908 Cadillac Model S Runabout. Representing Cadillac at its most elemental, it emerged during a formative period in Detroit’s automotive history, when precision engineering and innovative manufacturing were beginning to transform the automobile from a novelty into a viable means of transportation.

Cadillac was established in August 1902 from the remnants of the Henry Ford Company, following Henry Ford’s departure after a dispute with his financial backers. Investors William Murphy and Lemuel Bowen initially retained engineer Henry M. Leland to assess the factory and equipment for liquidation. Instead, Leland persuaded them to continue automobile production, bringing with him exacting manufacturing standards and a proven single-cylinder engine. The resulting Cadillac Automobile Company took its name from Antoine Laumet de La Mothe Cadillac, the French explorer credited with founding Detroit in 1701.

From its earliest days, Cadillac distinguished itself through an emphasis on precision and quality, quickly earning a reputation among America’s finest automobiles. That commitment culminated in one of the marque’s earliest great honors: the Dewar Trophy, awarded for outstanding advancement in the automobile industry.

Introduced in November 1907, the Model S represented the maturation of Cadillac’s pioneering single-cylinder formula. Built on an 82-inch wheelbase, the two-seat Runabout was equipped with a Leland & Faulconer single-cylinder engine, two-speed transmission, Brown-Lipe differential, larger 24-inch wheels, and distinctive extended running boards.

According to Cadillac build records, this example was completed on 4 April 1908, finished in blue with contrasting light-blue and white striping, and sold new to Joseph D. Rourke of Brooklyn, New York. For approximately seven decades, it has remained in the care of the same family on Martha’s Vineyard, where it has been continuously owned and garage-kept. Reportedly mechanically restored in 2016, it earned 2nd Place at that year’s Martha’s Vineyard Tisbury Car Show and was subsequently featured in the island’s Vineyard Gazette.

A genuine artifact of the Brass Era, this 1908 Cadillac offers something increasingly rare: the opportunity to acquire not merely an automobile, but a tangible piece of American motoring history.