1931 Pierce Arrow 7-Passenger Sedan (LHD)

Description

One of the famed 'Three P's', Pierce-Arrow was, along with Peerless and Packard, amongst America's most prestigious automakers from the beginning of the 20th Century through to its ultimate demise in 1938. Characterised by their distinctive fender-mounted headlamps, a feature first seen in 1913, Pierce-Arrow enjoyed a hard-won reputation for technical innovation and high quality manufacturing. Early models coined the name Great Arrow after winning the 1904 Glidden Tour, with the enormous Model 66 one of the largest and most powerful motor cars of the era. The six remained the mainstay of production until the end of the Great War but was ultimately succeeded by a new line-up consisting of both a sleeve-valve six and a cheaper L-head unit but the reliance on six cylinders when most rivals had long since switched to eight or even twelve cylinders, allied with conservative styling, saw Pierce-Arrow struggle in the latter part of the Roaring Twenties. Following a merger with Studebaker in 1928, the New York Company finally developed a straight eight, which saw a doubling of sales to around 10,000 in 1929. Pierce-Arrow's 1931 model range consisted of three models, the cheaper Model 43 built on a 137-inch wheelbase and powered by a 340-cid eight, the intermediate Model 42 on a longer 142-inch wheelbase and a 385-cid eight under the hood, and the top-of-the-range Model 41, whose 147-inch wheelbase was reserved for the most luxurious coachwork including an Enclosed Drive Limousine and Town Cars. As the Depression deepened, demand for luxury cars unsurprisingly waned and auto makers like Pierce Arrow suffered badly, with total production for the 1931 calendar year slipping to just 4,522 cars. The introduction of a new V12 for 1932 and publicity garnered from the radical Silver Arrow shown at the Chicago Century of Progress Exposition temporarily halted the decline in sales but Studebaker's financial difficulties spelled the end for Pierce-Arrow and the once proud marque closed the factory doors for the last time in 1938.