Vehicle Description
From George Pierce's first single-cylinder Motorette in 1901 to the
final twelve-cylinder chassis built for engineer Karl Wise in 1938,
Pierce-Arrow stood proudly for quality, craftsmanship, and luxury.
Along with Packard and Peerless, the Buffalo, New York firm
produced some of America's finest luxury motorcars. Despite an
impeccable reputation for quality, Pierce-Arrow often struggled
with financial instability and a limited dealer network. After a
takeover by bankers in the wake of World War I, Pierce-Arrow was
slow to respond to buyer's wishes, and their products soon became
stale and dated. Help arrived in 1928 when Pierce-Arrow's president
met with Albert Erskine of Studebaker to negotiate a merger. The
partnership allowed Pierce-Arrow to operate independently while
taking advantage of Studebaker's dealer network and injecting
much-needed cash required to introduce their long-overdue L-Head
eight-cylinder engine. That marvelous engine boosted sales, at
least for a short time. In 1931, chief engineer Karl Wise proudly
unveiled a pair of V12 engines of 398 and 429 cubic inches,
designed to take on Packard and Cadillac in the multi-cylinder
race. Unfortunately, the partnership between Studebaker and
Pierce-Arrow faltered, as Studebaker fell into receivership in
1933. Pierce was cut loose and once again faced with the struggle
of surviving as an independent manufacturer. Despite a valiant
attempt to shake their conservative image, with the sensational
twelve-cylinder 1933 Silver Arrow, the car's equally sensational
$10,000 price tag Pierce-Arrow meant just five were produced.
Despite the ground-breaking design, The Silver Arrow did little to
slow Pierce-Arrow's precipitous slide toward bankruptcy, and the
company folded for good in 1938. This distinctive and stylish 1933
Pierce-Arrow is one of the highlights of the Kleptz Collection.
Known as the Daytona Phaeton, it has a fascinating link to the
Silver Arrow show car. Frank believed this is a one-off creation
commissioned by the factory as a standby show car should the Silver
Arrow fail to meet its completion date. The distinctive body is
believed to be by LeBaron, and it rides on a top-line 1247 chassis,
with an extraordinary 147-inch wheelbase and a 462 cubic-inch,
175-horsepower V12 engine. The coachwork looks as though it started
life as a closed design, with its distinct dipped beltline after
the cowl. Distinguishing features include the sizeable integrated
trunk and stylish, phaeton-style canvas roof. Photographs of the
car from the late 1950s show it wearing this body and in tired but
complete condition, lending real credibility to the story. Before
joining the Kleptz collection in the 1980s, the Pierce was in the
stewardship of George Slankard, a highly respected Pierce-Arrow
expert and founder ofCars & Partsmagazine. The restoration was
handled by the great Bill Spoerle, who came to the US from Germany
to work for the legendary Indy-based car builder Floyd "Pops"
Dreyer before going on to a storied career as the head of the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum's restoration department. Bill
was one of the most respected restorers in the country, and his
work has won countless prestigious awards. Today, this mighty
Pierce-Arrow remains as striking as ever, with a unique blend of
elegance and sporting purpose. The restoration has aged gracefully,
and the car looks beautiful in its burgundy livery with bright red
accents and gold coach lines. Typical of Pierce-Arrows of this
period, it rides on steel artillery wheels, which have unique
chrome center spokes with red-painted rims and hubs. Fresh
Firestone whitewall tires punctuate the show-car looks to great
effect. Aside from the chrome trumpet horns, Archer mascot, and
twin side-mount spares, the body is relatively unadorned and free
of clutter - a signature of many great LeBaron designs. The
Pierce-Arrow Daytona Phaeton is a full four-passenger car with
generous accommodations in the front and rear. Rich burgundy
leather complements the exterior paintwork, while the splash of
bright red carpeting mirrors the effect of the wheels. Beautifully
restored instruments and woodgrain work remain in excellent order,
showing only a slight patina from age. Pierce-Arrow may have been
late to the multi-cylinder race in the 1930s, but their superb
L-head engine was well worth the wait. The 462 cubic-inch V12
produced 175 horsepower, matching the sensational Cadillac V16's
output and doing so with far less complexity and cost. It is truly
one of the finest American engines of its time and should have
elevated Pierce-Arrow back to the pinnacle of the luxury market. As
a testament to Bill Spoerle's restoration, the mighty twelve was
easily awakened, and following a basic fluid service and
adjustment, it runs beautifully, and operates in virtual silence,
with turbine-like smoothness. While taking in this marvelous
Pierce-Arrow's imposing scale and exquisite details, it is easy to
see why it held a place of pride in Frank Kleptz's collection. It
takes an exceptional automobile to stand out from this impressive
lot, and the Pierce-Arrow Phaeton is undoubtedly a shining star.
Offers welcome and trades considered For additional details please
view this listing directly on our website
https://hymanltd.com/vehicles/6852-1933-pierce-arrow-twelve-daytona-phaeton/