1908 Classic Cars for Sale
The Ford Model T arrives at $850, the New York to Paris race crosses three continents, and American automobile production crosses 65,000 units.
Nineteen-oh-eight is the hinge year. Ford introduces the Model T in October at $850, a price that will fall steadily for the next decade as Highland Park perfects assembly. The car itself is robust, high-clearance, and designed around American rural roads. It is not sophisticated. That is entirely the point. Henry Ford understood his customer better than any of his rivals.
The New York to Paris Race of 1908 is an absurdist adventure in ambition and logistics. Six cars leave Times Square in February and head west. The Thomas Flyer, driven by George Schuster with a rotating cast of co-drivers, wins after 169 days and roughly 22,000 miles. The American public follows it obsessively. Automobile journalism finds its footing covering this event.
For collectors, 1908 splits cleanly. Model T examples are plentiful and reasonably priced. Pre-T brass-era tourers and racing cars from the same year are exceedingly rare and command serious money. The Thomas Flyer that won New York to Paris is displayed at Harrah's in Reno and is not available at any price, but its siblings still occasionally surface.
- Ford introduces the Model T on October 1, 1908, at a base price of $825 to $850 depending on body style, with first deliveries of 309 units by year end, beginning the production run that would eventually exceed 15 million cars.
- The New York to Paris Race concludes on July 30 when George Schuster and the Thomas Flyer arrive in Paris after 169 days, 13,341 measured miles, and a route that crossed the continental United States, Siberia, and Europe.
- General Motors is incorporated by William Durant on September 16, 1908, initially as a holding company for Buick, with Oldsmobile, Cadillac, and Oakland added within the following 18 months.
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Browse Pre-War ClassicsMarket: A 1908 Ford Model T in genuine unrestored condition trades between $18,000 and $45,000. Restored examples with documentation of original body configuration reach $55,000. Thomas Flyer Model 6-70 tourers, of which perhaps 15 survive, have sold between $150,000 and $400,000. The General Motors founding year adds collector narrative value to any 1908 Buick or Cadillac with strong provenance.
Buyer's note: On 1908 Model T examples, confirm the engine number falls within Ford's October to December 1908 production sequence, as many early T bodies were fitted with later engines by dealers who could not source period replacements.