| 1933 Pierce-Arrow |
In 1885 Pierce-Arrow entered the manufacturing business, fabricating birdcages, iceboxes, and bathtubs. In 1872
George N. Pierce bought out his partners and in 1896 added bicycles to the product line. In 1900 the company began
producing automobiles. The four-cylinder Great Arrow, introduced in 1904, won the 1905 inaugural and next four
successive Glidden Tours setting the stage for the marque’s rapid ascent to the summit of the fine car market.
In 1909, U.S. President William Howard Taft ordered two Pierce-Arrows along with a pair of White Model M Tourers to be
used for state occasions, the first official cars of the White House. An open-bodied Pierce-Arrow carried Woodrow Wilson
and Warren G. Harding to Harding’s 1921 inauguration.
Herbert M. Dawley joined Pierce-Arrow in 1912, and designed almost every model until 1938. In 1914, Pierce-Arrow
adopted its most enduring styling hallmark when the headlights of the vehicle were moved from the traditional placement
on either side of the radiator into flared housings molded into the front fenders of the car.
Despite enviable levels of customer satisfaction and the achievement of unprecedented sales exceeding 5,000 cars by
1925, the company lacked capital to develop newer and more-competitive models. Cash rich Studebaker wanted to offer
a high-profile luxury model and thus came the basis of a merger. The net result provided Pierce-Arrow with the cash it
needed for the development of a new eight-cylinder engine that appeared in 1928, as well as the new Karl Wise-
designed V12 of 1932.
The Pierce-Arrow was a status symbol, owned by many Hollywood stars, corporate tycoons; and royalty of many foreign
nations. In American luxury cars it was rivaled only by Peerless and Packard, which collectively received the accolade
“Three P's of Motordom.”
The Great Depression took its toll on Pierce-Arrow. Even the rich were hesitant to pay the $10,000 price of a top-of-the-
line model. Unlike other manufacturers, Pierce-Arrow refused to produce a lower price point automobile. Consequently,
sales plummeted and Pierce-Arrow ceased to produce automobiles after the 1938 model year. Starting in 1936 Pierce-
Arrow produced a line of camper-trailers, the Pierce-Arrow Travelodge.
The 1933 on display came equipped with a 175 bhp, 462 cu. in. L-head V12 engine, three-speed manual transmission,
suspension via front and rear semi-elliptic leaf springs, solid front axle, live rear axle and four-wheel, vacuum-assisted
mechanical brakes. Wheelbase: 137" Weight: 5055Lbs. Price New: $4,250.00. Total Production of all 1933 Model 1242 V-
12 automobiles was 118 units of which it is estimated that less than 10 were convertible coupes.
George N. Pierce bought out his partners and in 1896 added bicycles to the product line. In 1900 the company began
producing automobiles. The four-cylinder Great Arrow, introduced in 1904, won the 1905 inaugural and next four
successive Glidden Tours setting the stage for the marque’s rapid ascent to the summit of the fine car market.
In 1909, U.S. President William Howard Taft ordered two Pierce-Arrows along with a pair of White Model M Tourers to be
used for state occasions, the first official cars of the White House. An open-bodied Pierce-Arrow carried Woodrow Wilson
and Warren G. Harding to Harding’s 1921 inauguration.
Herbert M. Dawley joined Pierce-Arrow in 1912, and designed almost every model until 1938. In 1914, Pierce-Arrow
adopted its most enduring styling hallmark when the headlights of the vehicle were moved from the traditional placement
on either side of the radiator into flared housings molded into the front fenders of the car.
Despite enviable levels of customer satisfaction and the achievement of unprecedented sales exceeding 5,000 cars by
1925, the company lacked capital to develop newer and more-competitive models. Cash rich Studebaker wanted to offer
a high-profile luxury model and thus came the basis of a merger. The net result provided Pierce-Arrow with the cash it
needed for the development of a new eight-cylinder engine that appeared in 1928, as well as the new Karl Wise-
designed V12 of 1932.
The Pierce-Arrow was a status symbol, owned by many Hollywood stars, corporate tycoons; and royalty of many foreign
nations. In American luxury cars it was rivaled only by Peerless and Packard, which collectively received the accolade
“Three P's of Motordom.”
The Great Depression took its toll on Pierce-Arrow. Even the rich were hesitant to pay the $10,000 price of a top-of-the-
line model. Unlike other manufacturers, Pierce-Arrow refused to produce a lower price point automobile. Consequently,
sales plummeted and Pierce-Arrow ceased to produce automobiles after the 1938 model year. Starting in 1936 Pierce-
Arrow produced a line of camper-trailers, the Pierce-Arrow Travelodge.
The 1933 on display came equipped with a 175 bhp, 462 cu. in. L-head V12 engine, three-speed manual transmission,
suspension via front and rear semi-elliptic leaf springs, solid front axle, live rear axle and four-wheel, vacuum-assisted
mechanical brakes. Wheelbase: 137" Weight: 5055Lbs. Price New: $4,250.00. Total Production of all 1933 Model 1242 V-
12 automobiles was 118 units of which it is estimated that less than 10 were convertible coupes.