The Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company was an American motor vehicle manufacturer based in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

, which was active from 1901 to 1938. Although best known for its expensive

luxury cars A luxury car is a car that provides increased levels of comfort, equipment, amenities, quality, performance, and associated status compared to moderately priced cars. The term is subjective and reflects both the qualities of the car and the b ...

, Pierce-Arrow also manufactured commercial

trucks A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construction ...

fire trucks A fire engine (also known in some places as a fire truck or fire lorry) is a road vehicle (usually a truck) that functions as a firefighting apparatus. The primary purposes of a fire engine include transporting firefighters and water to an ...

, boats, camp trailers,

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

s, and

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...

The beginning of the company

The forerunner of Pierce-Arrow was established in 1865 as Heinz, Pierce and Munschauer. The company was best known for its household items, especially its delicate, gilded birdcages. In 1872, George Norman Pierce (1846–1910) bought out the other two principals of the company, changed the name to the George N. Pierce Company, and in 1896 added bicycles to the product line. The company failed in its attempt to build a steam-powered car in 1900 under license from Overman, but by 1901, had built its first single-cylinder, two-speed, no-reverse ''Motorette''. Motorette image In 1903, it produced a two-cylinder car, the ''Arrow''. In 1904, Pierce decided to concentrate on making a larger, more luxurious car for the upscale market, the ''Great Arrow''. This became the company's most successful product. The solidly built, four-cylinder car won the

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in 1905, an endurance run to determine and celebrate the most reliable car. Thirty-three cars entered the 350-mile race from New York City to Bretton Woods, New Hampshire; the race was won by Percy Pierce in a ''Great Arrow''. The noted industrial architect Albert Kahn designed the

Pierce Arrow Factory Complex Pierce Arrow Factory Complex is a national historic district consisting of the former Pierce-Arrow automobile factory located at Buffalo in Erie County, New York. History It was designed by Albert Kahn in about 1906 and served as the headquar ...

at Elmwood Avenue and Great Arrow Avenue in about 1906. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1974. George Pierce sold all rights in the company in 1907, and he died three years later. In 1908, Pierce Motor Company was renamed as the Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company. Pierce-Arrow Hood Ornament

In 1909,

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...

ordered two Pierce-Arrows (and two White Model M Tourers) to be used for state occasions, the first official cars of the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

. The Pierce-Arrow's engine displacement started at , continuing to a massive and was increased later to 5 inch bore and 7 inch stroke for , at the time making it by far the largest

Otto engine The Otto engine was a large stationary single-cylinder internal combustion four-stroke engine designed by the German Nicolaus Otto. It was a low-RPM machine, and only fired every other stroke due to the Otto cycle, also designed by Otto. Types ...

offered in any production automobile in the world.''Fire Engines & Fire Fighting'', by David Burgess-Wise, first publ. 1977 by

Octopus Books An octopus ( : octopuses or octopodes, see below for variants) is a soft-bodied, eight- limbed mollusc of the order Octopoda (, ). The order consists of some 300 species and is grouped within the class Cephalopoda with squids, cuttlefish ...

Ltd, . In 1910, Pierce dropped its other 4-cylinder models and focused exclusively on 6-cylinder cars until 1929. The model 6-36, 6-48, and 6-66 continued for the next decade. Starting in 1918, Pierce-Arrow adopted a four-valve per cylinder T-head inline-six engine (Dual Valve Six) and three spark plugs per cylinder, one of the few, if only, multi-valve flathead design engines ever made. The company did not introduce an 8-cylinder engine until the 1929 Model 126, and a V-12 engine was offered in 1931 until the company closed in 1938. In 1910, George Pierce died. In 1912,

Herbert M. Dawley Herbert may refer to: People Individuals * Herbert (musician), a pseudonym of Matthew Herbert Name * Herbert (given name) * Herbert (surname) Places Antarctica * Herbert Mountains, Coats Land * Herbert Sound, Graham Land Australia * Herbert, ...

(later a Broadway actor-director) joined Pierce-Arrow, and he designed almost every model until 1938. Until 1914, Pierce-Arrow also made a line of

s, including the

Pierce Four The Pierce Four was the first four-cylinder motorcycle produced in the United States.Hodgdon 1976, p. 27Dumitrache 2011Clayton 2008 The model is included in the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Classic BikesMotorcycle Hall of Fame 2010 and Barber Vint ...

. In 1914, Pierce-Arrow adopted its most enduring styling hallmark when its

headlights A headlamp is a lamp attached to the front of a vehicle to illuminate the road ahead. Headlamps are also often called headlights, but in the most precise usage, ''headlamp'' is the term for the device itself and ''headlight'' is the term for ...

were moved from a traditional placement at the radiator's sides, into flared housings molded into the front fenders of the car. This gave the car an immediately visible distinction in front or side views. At night, the car appeared to have a wider stance. Pierce patented this placement, which endured until the final model of 1938, although Pierce always offered customers the option of conventional headlamps; only a minority ordered this option. The Pierce-Arrow was a

status symbol A status symbol is a visible, external symbol of one's social position, an indicator of economic or social status. Many luxury goods are often considered status symbols. ''Status symbol'' is also a sociological term – as part of social and soci ...

, owned by many

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

stars and tycoons, and a favorite was the Pierce-Arrow Town Car. Most of the

royalty Royalty may refer to: * Any individual monarch, such as a king, queen, emperor, empress, etc. * Royal family, the immediate family of a king or queen regnant, and sometimes his or her extended family * Royalty payment for use of such things as int ...

of the world had at least one Pierce-Arrow in its collection. Some have described Pierce and two of its rivals among American luxury cars,

Peerless Peerless may refer to: Companies and organizations * Peerless Motor Company, an American automobile manufacturer. * Peerless Brewing Company, in Birkenhead, UK * Peerless Group, an insurance and financial services company in India * Peerless R ...

and

Packard Packard or Packard Motor Car Company was an American luxury automobile company located in Detroit, Michigan. The first Packard automobiles were produced in 1899, and the last Packards were built in South Bend, Indiana in 1958. One of the "Thr ...

, as the "Three P's of Motordom." Industrial efficiency expert

Frank Gilbreth Frank Bunker Gilbreth (July 7, 1868 – June 14, 1924) was an American engineer, consultant, and author known as an early advocate of scientific management and a pioneer of time and motion study, and is perhaps best known as the father and ce ...

, father of the authors of "

Cheaper By The Dozen ''Cheaper by the Dozen'' is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Frank Bunker Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, published in 1948. The novel recounts the authors' childhood lives growing up in a household of 12 children. The bestsell ...

," extolled the virtues of Pierce-Arrow, in both quality and in its ability to safely transport his large family. Its

wheelbase In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels. For road vehicles with more than two axles (e.g. some trucks), the wheelbase is the distance between the steering (front ...

was . The transmission was a four speed manual in 1919. Actor

Sessue Hayakawa , known professionally as , was a Japanese actor and a matinée idol. He was a popular star in Hollywood during the silent film era of the 1910s and early 1920s. Hayakawa was the first actor of Asian descent to achieve stardom as a leading man i ...

(famed for his role in ''

Bridge on the River Kwai ''The Bridge on the River Kwai'' is a 1957 epic war film directed by David Lean and based on the 1952 novel written by Pierre Boulle. Although the film uses the historical setting of the construction of the Burma Railway in 1942–1943, the plo ...

'') drove a custom-ordered

gold-plated Gold plating is a method of depositing a thin layer of gold onto the surface of another metal, most often copper or silver (to make silver-gilt), by chemical or electrochemical plating. This article covers plating methods used in the modern ele ...

Pierce-Arrow. A restored 1919 Pierce-Arrow is on display at the

Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library The Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum is a complex located in Staunton, Virginia. It contains the President's birthplace, known as the Manse, a Museum that explores the life and times of Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924), a Research Libr ...

. An open-bodied Pierce-Arrow carried

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

and

Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents. A ...

to Harding's 1921 inauguration, and one was used prominently in the 1950 movie ''

Cheaper by the Dozen ''Cheaper by the Dozen'' is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Frank Bunker Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, published in 1948. The novel recounts the authors' childhood lives growing up in a household of 12 children. The bestsell ...

''. Pierce-Arrow advertisements were artistic and understated. Unusual for car advertising, the image of the car was in the background rather than the foreground of the picture. Usually, only part of the car was visible. The Pierce-Arrow was typically depicted in elegant and fashionable settings. Some advertisements featured the car in places a car would not normally go, such as

the West West is a cardinal direction or compass point. West or The West may also refer to: Geography and locations Global context * The Western world * Western culture and Western civilization in general * The Western Bloc, countries allied with NATO ...

and other rural settings, a testament to the car's ruggedness and quality. Because of the immense size of most models, several second-hand Pierce-Arrow cars were bought by

fire department A fire department (American English) or fire brigade (Commonwealth English), also known as a fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organization that provides fire prevention and fire suppression se ...

s, stripped down to the chassis and engine, the wheelbase lengthened, and built back into

fire engine A fire engine (also known in some places as a fire truck or fire lorry) is a road vehicle (usually a truck) that functions as a firefighting apparatus. The primary purposes of a fire engine include transporting firefighters and water to an i ...

s. Some of these fire engines were in service for up to 20 years.

List of models

There were at least 39 defined models during the time of manufacture listed here: *Pierce Silver Arrow *Pierce-Arrow 1240A *Pierce-Arrow 1245 *Pierce-Arrow 1248A *Pierce-Arrow 1255 *Pierce-Arrow 1601 *Pierce-Arrow 1602 *Pierce-Arrow 1603 *Pierce-Arrow 1701 *Pierce-Arrow 1702 *Pierce-Arrow 1703 *Pierce-Arrow 1801 *Pierce-Arrow 1802 *Pierce-Arrow 1803 *Pierce-Arrow 836A *Pierce-Arrow 840A *Pierce-Arrow 845 *Pierce-Arrow Model 1236 *Pierce-Arrow Model 1242 *Pierce-Arrow Model 1247 *Pierce-Arrow Model 133 *Pierce-Arrow Model 143 *Pierce-Arrow Model 31 *Pierce-Arrow Model 32 *Pierce-Arrow Model 33 *Pierce-Arrow Model 36 *Pierce-Arrow Model 41 *Pierce-Arrow Model 42 *Pierce-Arrow Model 43 *Pierce-Arrow Model 51 *Pierce-Arrow Model 52 *Pierce-Arrow Model 53 *Pierce-Arrow Model 54 *Pierce-Arrow Model 80 *Pierce-Arrow Model 81 *Pierce-Arrow Model 836 *Pierce-Arrow Model A *Pierce-Arrow Model B *Pierce-Arrow Model C

1928–1933

In 1928, the

Studebaker Studebaker was an American wagon and automobile manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana, with a building at 1600 Broadway, Times Square, Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 1852 and incorporated in 1868 as the Studebaker Brothers M ...

Corporation of

South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 United S ...

, gained control of the Buffalo firm. The association was to last for five years, with moderate benefits to both companies' engineering departments, which continued to function as separate entities. Pierce-Arrow also gained a dealer network, as the cars were sold through Studebaker dealerships. Under Studebaker's ownership, Pierce-Arrow retired the venerable 6-cylinder engine and in 1929 introduced an L-head

straight-eight engine The straight-eight engine (also referred to as an inline-eight engine; abbreviated I8 or L8) is a piston engine with eight cylinders arranged in a straight line along the crankshaft. The number of cylinders and perfect primary and secondary engi ...

, which displaced .

1933 Silver Arrow and the end of the line

In 1933, Pierce-Arrow unveiled the radically streamlined Silver Arrow in a final attempt to appeal to the wealthy at the

New York Auto Show The New York International Auto Show is an annual auto show that is held in Manhattan in late March or early April. It is held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. It usually opens on or just before Easter weekend and closes on the first Su ...

. The car was well received by the public and the motoring press, being announced with the slogan "Suddenly it's 1940!" Pierce sold five examples but, since it was priced at $10,000 (equal to $ today) during the worst of the Depression, even the rich were hesitant to spend so much. The bodies were built at Studebaker, which subsequently assisted in rolling out a lower-priced production model. This, however, lacked many luxury features of the show car and still failed to generate enough sales. Starting in 1936, Pierce-Arrow produced a line of camper-trailers, the Pierce-Arrow Travelodge. They also produced a new V12 sedan that was redesigned and considered the safest and most luxurious sedan of its day. Galloping Goose 6

The

Rio Grande Southern Railroad The Rio Grande Southern Railroad (reporting mark RGS, also referred to as "The Southern") was a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge railroad which ran in the southwestern region of the US state of Colorado, from the towns of Durango to Ridgway, ...

converted five Pierce-Arrow automobiles (and a couple of

Buick Buick () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American marques of automobiles, and was the company that established General ...

s) into motorized

railcar A railcar (not to be confused with a railway car) is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach (carriage, car), with a drive ...

s, effectively buses and trucks on rail wheels. The nickname '' Galloping Goose'' was soon applied to these vehicles, reportedly based on their waddling motion and honking horn. Three are preserved in the

Colorado Railroad Museum The Colorado Railroad Museum is a non-profit railroad museum. The museum is located on at a point where Clear Creek flows between North and South Table Mountains in Golden, Colorado. The museum was established in 1959 to preserve a record of C ...

Golden Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall *Golden Cap, Dorset *Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucestershir ...

. Pierce was the only luxury brand that did not field a lower-priced car (''e.g.'', the

Packard 120 The Packard Twelfth Series One-Twenty is an automobile produced by the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan, from 1935 to 1937 and from 1939 through the 1941 model years. The One-Twenty model designation was derived from the wheelbase, a ...

) to provide cash flow, and without sales or funds for development, the company declared insolvency in 1938 and closed its doors. The final Pierce-Arrow assembled was built by Karl Wise, the firm's chief engineer, from parts secured from the company's receivers. Pierce's remaining assets (which probably would include the forty Arrows made in October 1938) were sold at auction on a Friday, May 13, 1938. The factory equipment used to make Pierce-Arrow V12 engines was bought by

Seagrave Fire Apparatus Seagrave Fire Apparatus LLC is an American fire apparatus manufacturer that specializes in pumper and rescue units, as well as aerial towers. In addition to manufacturing new equipment, they refurbish, repair and upgrade older Seagrave apparatu ...

, which used it to make engines for

Recent use of the name

In 2006, a group of classic car enthusiasts from Switzerland applied the name to a 10 L, 24-cylinder car designed by

Luigi Colani Luigi Colani (born Lutz Colani 2 August 1928 – 16 September 2019) was a German industrial designer. His long career began in the 1950s when he designed cars for companies including Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Volkswagen, and BMW. In 1957, he dr ...

. According to their (defunct) website, the company intended to revive the Pierce-Arrow car in the form of a Pierce Silver Arrow II. The U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ruled on August 12, 2019, that "Pierce-Arrow" cannot be registered by an unrelated third party as a trademark for the production of a new automobile. This decision establishes a new precedent for protection of Collective Membership Marks.

Gallery

File:WhiteRockWaterPierceArrowTruck.jpg, 1911 Pierce-Arrow Five-ton Truck File:Pierce Four 1910 Barber.jpg, 1911

motorcycle File:PierceArrowUtah1915.jpg, 1915 Touring Car,

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

File:Pierce-Arrow Model 48-B-5 7-Passenger Touring 1919 2.jpg, Pierce-Arrow vehicles Model 48-B-5 7-Passenger Touring 1919 File:Stahls Automotive Collection December 2021 139 (1919 Pierce-Arrow Model 66 A-4).jpg, 1919 Pierce-Arrow Model 66 A-4 File:Original TTC Rosedale Pierce Arrow bus.jpg, Pierce Arrow bus ( TTC

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Canada) File:1929 Pierce Arrow.jpg, 1929 Pierce Arrow File:1929_PIERCE-ARROW.jpg, 1929 Pierce Arrow File:Pierce-Arrow (Auto classique Laval '11).JPG , Pierce-Arrow File:Pierce-Arrow Model B (1930) 1Y7A6168.jpg, 1930 Pierce-Arrow Model B File:1930 Pierce-Arrow Model B.JPG, 1930 Pierce-Arrow Model B Dual-Cowl Phaeton File:1931 Pierce-Arrow by LeBaron.jpg, 1931 Pierce-Arrow by LeBaron File:1934 Pierce-Arrow 840A.JPG, 1934 Pierce-Arrow 840A Convertible File:1934 Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow.JPG, 1934 Pierce-Arrow 840A Coupe File:1935 Pierce Arrow 845 V12 Silver Arrow Coupe (3828535867).jpg, 1935 Pierce Arrow 845 V12 Silver Arrow Coupe

References

17. http://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/ttabvue-91224343-OPP-58.pdf

Pierce Arrow The Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company was an American motor vehicle manufacturer based in Buffalo, New York, which was active from 1901 to 1938. Although best known for its expensive luxury cars, Pierce-Arrow also manufactured commercial trucks ...

History of Buffalo, New York Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1901 Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1938 1901 establishments in New York (state) 1938 disestablishments in New York (state) American companies disestablished in 1938 American companies established in 1901 Defunct manufacturing companies based in New York (state) Defunct companies based in Buffalo, New York Vintage vehicles Brass Era vehicles Veteran vehicles 1900s cars 1910s cars 1920s cars 1930s cars Pre-war vehicles Motor vehicle manufacturers based in New York (state) Cars introduced in 1901

The beginning of the company

List of models

1928–1933

1933 Silver Arrow and the end of the line

Recent use of the name

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Gallery

See also

References

Further reading

External links