The Pierce Engine Company of Racine, Wisconsin, was the manufacturer of the

brass era The Brass Era is an American term for the early period of automotive manufacturing, named for the prominent brass fittings used during this time for such things as lights and radiators. It is generally considered to encompass 1896 through 1915 ...

Pierce-Racine automobile. The company was founded in 1892 and produced automobiles from 1904 to 1910.

History

Andrew J. Pierce arrived in Racine, Wisconsin in 1887, and by 1892 he had organized the Racine Gas Engine Company, which then became the Pierce Gas Engine Company located at 1952 Clark Street. Stationary and marine engines were the company’s primary products, Pierce also produced to order lake launches to be powered by their marine engines. In 1895 Pierce began experimenting with horseless carriages by motorizing a surrey. He continued experimenting over the next several years, until in 1903 a small two-seat runabout was produced in series for Mitchell Motor Car Company across town. The runabout was equipped with a one-cylinder engine with 8- hp (5.9 kW). The following year, Pierce entered automobile production selling the runabout as a Pierce-Racine. In 1905 Pierce added two-cylinder cars and a four-cylinder car were added in 1906. By March 1906, the company had four models including: *Model A-3, a 12-horsepower, 2-cylinder Runabout priced at $750, ; *Model A-4, a 14-horsepower, 2-cylinder Light Touring Car priced at $850; *Model B2, a 16-horsepower, 2-cylinder Light Touring Car priced at $1,150; *Model C, a 24-horsepower, 4-cylinder Touring Car priced at $1,750, . New York agents were Gantert & Paul at 60-62 West 116th Street and New England agents were Butler Motor Car Company of 995 Boylston Street in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. Beginning in 1907 Pierce-Racine's were sold as a single Model D 40hp automobile priced at $2,600. Model D would be improved as the Model E, G and H up to 1909, now with a 45-hp engine, priced at $2,000, . In 1909 the Pierce Engine Company was reorganized with J. I. Case Company investors as the Pierce Motor Company. On August 4th 1910, Pierce Motor Company was absorbed by the J. I. Case Threshing Machine Company and the Pierce-Racine became the Case automobile. Case automobiles were produced until 1927.

File:1897 Pierce Engine Company advertisement.jpg, 1897 Pierce stationary gas engines advertisement File:Pierce-racine-auto 1906 ad.jpg, 1906 Pierce-Racine advertisement in Motor magazine File:1907 Pierce-Racine - Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal.jpg, 1907 Pierce-Racine Model D advertisement in Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal File:1910 Pierce-Racine Horseless Age Magazine Ad.jpg, 1910 Pierce-Racine advertisement in Horseless Age

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pierce-Racine (Automobile) Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1904 Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1909 Companies based in Racine, Wisconsin 1904 establishments in Wisconsin 1909 disestablishments in Wisconsin Defunct manufacturing companies based in Wisconsin Veteran vehicles Brass Era vehicles 1900s cars Motor vehicle manufacturers based in Wisconsin Cars introduced in 1904

History

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See also

References