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Pierce-Arrows at Pebble Beach.
Author & Photographer: Ken Morrison.
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Luxury Times 23: Pierce-Arrow at Pebble Beach.
One of the marques at the 2010 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance was the ultra deluxe Pierce-Arrow, an American-made car that came from deep in the imagination of George Pierce of Buffalo, New York. It made its official debut in 1903, after Pierce’s earlier idea to create a steam-powered car failed. Although production on the Pierce-Arrow stopped before the start of World War II, these elegant cars still grace elite car shows worldwide, creating the same stir that in their heyday, caused them to be the choice of presidents, business moguls, and royalty.
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At this year’s Concours, twenty-three Pierce-Arrows were on display, most restored to their original glory. One after another they rolled out onto the soft carpet of grass resplendent in the morning light. Exclamations of approval and a flurry of camera flashes greeted the owners. They smiled knowing that they were curating historical gems, for the owners of such cars recognize that one never really owns a piece of automotive history, but only watches over it for posterity.
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The precursor to the luxuriously captivating Pierce-Arrow automobile might arguably have been a birdcage. Not just any birdcage, but a gilded, ornate, swirlingly sculptural multilevel one that even the most ostentatious and rare of ornithology specimens would have been proud to call home. When George Pierce bought out the partners in his firm of Heinz, Pierce and Munschauer, their reputation for birdcages was known worldwide. They also made other housewares and were known for the highest quality construction and interesting, innovative designs. But Pierce had bigger plans, ones that didn’t involve birds. He imagined a car so deluxe that it would rival any of the carriages being built in Europe. And by 1903, he unveiled the Arrow.
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In 1904, he first unveiled the Pierce 15 HP Arrow Motorcar, and then another: the Great Arrow, which was powered by a Pierce four-cylinder engine with 24-28 horsepower. It cost a hefty $4,000, making it one of the most costly vehicles of its time. Its specs included a 93-inch wheelbase and aluminum body panels, which made it light for its size. It won several cross-country tours and a earned a reputation for dependability that kept it in the public eye and at the top of the roster of most coveted cars.
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By 1915, Pierce-Arrow had a cache that was enviable and the goal of George Pierce to build the number one car was well within the company’s grasp. The 1915 Pierce-Arrow 66-A-3 7 Passenger Touring car was one of the most beautiful every built and with the development of the 66-horsepower model, which boasted the biggest engine ever used for a production car, it was the most luxurious, comfortable, and powerful motorcar in their history.
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The Pierce-Arrow is one of the so-called Royal Three Ps of American automotive luxury, which included Packard of Detroit, Michigan, and Peerless of Cleveland, Ohio. Peerless was made from 1900 to 1932, Pierce-Arrow was made from 1901 until 1938, and Packard from 1899 until 1958. Studebaker acquired the Pierce-Arrow company in 1928, although the two companies continued to operate separately. The Pierce-Arrow had always been as expensive as it was luxurious, and the Great Depression and two world wars reduced the number of customers who could or would invest in such an ostentatious vehicle when most people were struggling to survive. In 1933, the new model called the Silver Arrow debuted at the New York Auto Show and, although it was very well received based on its unique design, the price tag of $10,000 was out of reach even for the wealthy.
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Although automotive historians generally dislike comparisons, the Pierce-Arrow is often called America’s Rolls-Royce. That description relates as much to the overwhelming majesty of the car as is does to the nuance and the detail. The wheel base of the car was 3.73 m, and the headlamps were a real standout feature, in that they were placed in flared housings that were actually molded into the car’s front fenders. The car appeared massive, especially with the headlamps lit at night. Another memorable detail is the hood ornament, an archer with a bow ready to release an arrow which seemed aimed directly at the heart of the discerning luxury buyer. And the archer’s aim was true, because the Pierce-Arrow became the must-have car for a huge segment of the wealthiest people in the world, including royalty from several foreign countries. The car also became the first official vehicle of the White House in 1909 after two, a Brougham and Landaulette, were specially ordered for use in state events by U.S. President Taft. For years afterwards, until 1935, the Pierce-Arrow was a regular presence as the presidential “ride” in inaugural ceremonies and events that required the kind of pomp and circumstance it could easily deliver. So beautiful were the cars that they might have stolen some of the attention away from the celebrities who were riding in them.
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The Pierce-Arrows present at Pebble Beach included a 1908 Great Arrow 7 Passenger Suburban that was the largest Pierce-Arrow built. It was 7 feet tall, and the model 65Q had a wheel base of 135 inches, weighed over 4,000 pounds, with a walloping price tag for the time of between $6,500 and $7,750 US. Another was a 1909 48-SS7 Passenger Touring car, which heralded the elimination of the 4-cylinder models and the column shift, and the introduction of the 6 cylinder chassis. This was one of the most popular models in the company’s history, with 1909 being the year with the most output and selection.
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In 1913, the company debuted the Pierce-Arrow 38-C Runabout, which had several novel features, such as nickel trim instead of brass and an air starter system which pumped compressed air into cylinders to move the pistons. The Runabout, which appeared in its original colors at Pebble Beach, had not left the San Francisco Bay area since it was sold there originally nearly a century earlier.
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Each year, visitors to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance come expecting to be thrilled. And as always, this year there were thrills to be had everywhere. For the focus on early American cars, the illustrious Pierce-Arrow marque gave the Concours audience a chance to be not only thrilled, but with 23 Pierce-Arrows to behold, sent them on a tour back in history to when standards for luxury in automotive design were in their infancy.
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