To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys' The
Elkhart Collection event, 23 - 24 October 2020.
Estimate:
$200,000 - $250,000
- Reportedly one of only three extant in this design
- Known and documented history since 1930
- Formerly owned by Ray Nelson, Rodney Flournoy, and Don
Short
- Older restoration in very charming, enjoyable condition
- Retains original coachwork, body wood, and hardware; featuring
unusual walk-through front seats
- Classic Car Club of America (CCCA) Full Classic
The earliest known owner of this Pierce-Arrow Series 31
four-passenger roadster was Joe W. Buttress of South Pasadena,
California, for whom a 1930 registration is included in the file.
According to an affidavit on file, the car was then partially
dismantled and put in storage with George Metcalf of Los Angeles
until 1952. That year Mr. Metcalf sold the Pierce for $800 to Ray
Nelson, a very early Southern California collector and enthusiast
in whose large museum this car would remain for the rest of his
life. Additional registrations for Mr. Nelson's ownership, as well
as photographs of the car as found and numerous invoices and
receipts, are included in the file. It was shown in his care at the
Pierce-Arrow Society's West Coast Meet in the early 1960s, having
been cosmetically refinished and mechanically rebuilt.
In 1978 the car was sold from the Nelson estate to longtime
Pierce-Arrow Society member and enthusiast Rodney Flournoy, who
wrote in detail of his acquisition and a long-distance trip
undertaken in the roadster in the PAS Arrow (1979, No. 2). In this
ownership the car was first noted to have the current engine,
311270, a correct replacement unit. The Pierce remained with Mr.
Flournoy until 2004 and then was sold to longtime collector Don
Short of Port Ludlow, Washington.
Following Mr. Short's passing, the Pierce-Arrow was acquired by
Peter Hageman and was repainted and improved throughout, with the
older interior and top remaining intact and in wonderfully
patinated condition. The current collection then acquired the car,
and it has remained well kept since, with its lifetime of good care
by enthusiasts still visible in every nut and bolt.
The appeal of this Pierce-Arrow is obvious upon inspection: it has
been used, but not abused, and carefully preserved and enjoyed for
all its long life. It is ideal for further touring enjoyment with
the AACA, VMCCA, and the CCCA, or simply for cruising around town
and savoring its peppy performance. It would of course be welcomed
back to any number of Pierce-Arrow Society events, where it would
undoubtedly be reunited with old friends who fondly remember it
from decades past.To view this car and others currently consigned
to this auction, please visit the RM website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/el20.