Vehicle Description
As one of the Brass Era's grandest, most potent automobiles,
Pierce-Arrow's mighty Model 66 sits in elite company. Named for the
headline-grabbing power output of its immense T-head inline
six-cylinder engine, the Model 66 first debuted in 1910 and was
produced in limited numbers through 1918. It was the reserve of
America's wealthiest and most exclusive motorists and has even been
called the "Bugatti Royale of the Brass Era" by some. Initially,
Model 66's T-Head engine displaced 714 cubic inches or
approximately 11.7 liters. But Pierce-Arrow engineers continually
improved the Model 66 to ensure it remained the class of the field,
and by 1913, the engine swelled to 825 cubic inches - or 13.5
liters. Output jumped accordingly to 100 horsepower - an
astonishing figure when the contemporary Model T produced about 20
horsepower. Driving a Model 66 is akin to running a locomotive on
the road, with endless reserves of torque from its low-revving,
long-stroke six pushing it to over 80 miles per hour. Records
indicated that Pierce-Arrow produced about 1,250 Model 66s between
1910 and 1918, yet only 14 exist today. The beautiful and imposing
Model 66 is prized by collectors, and examples rarely come
available on the open market. The car offered here, chassis number
66667, left Pierce's Buffalo works fitted with handsome
seven-passenger touring coachwork, and is believed to have been
delivered new to Chicago. It was one of the last Pierce-Arrows
equipped with drum headlamps, as the later models came with the
signature faired-in lamps as standard. In the early 1920s, it was
acquired by the Minneapolis Fire Department, which was
transitioning from a horse-drawn fleet to a motorized one. The city
purchased used vehicles to save money, yet performance and
reliability were of utmost importance - and few cars on the road
had a better reputation for durability than the Pierce-Arrow. In
fact, Minneapolis is known to have acquired at least 40 different
Pierces between 1920 and 1924 for fire department use. Initially,
66667 was used as a Chief's car, then was rebuilt following a 1927
altercation with another department fire truck. Remarkably,
Minneapolis kept the Model 66 in service until 1948, when the city
sold it to a smaller department in a neighboring town. It was
finally retired from active duty in 1950 and was sold to Ben
Saunders, owner of KICD radio in Spencer, Iowa. Mr. Saunders used
the distinctive Pierce-Arrow as a promotional vehicle for his radio
station, though the car eventually fell into a state of disrepair.
Saunders eventually donated it to the Sioux City Shriners, but it
was not in running condition and needed a total restoration. While
the Shriners certainly admired the grand Pierce, they lacked the
means and skills to restore it properly, so they sold the car to a
local collector named Irving Jensen on the condition that he would
refurbish it and allow the Shriners to use it as a parade vehicle
for the next ten years. Jensen dutifully set to work returning the
Model 66 to its former glory. Foremost among his tasks was to
recreate the original coachwork, most of which was lost when
Minneapolis FD adapted the car to a fire apparatus. For this job,
he enlisted the expertise of Ray Graber of San Diego, the highly
respected former body restorer for Harrah's Automobile Collection.
Using the intact original cowl as a guide, Graber recreated the
seven-passenger touring coachwork, and did so in the correct method
of using cast aluminum, exactly as Pierce-Arrow would have built it
in 1913. Additional metalwork was done by Red's Metal Shaping of
California, while Jensen entrusted the task of meticulously
restoring the upholstery to the Brass Era expert Leif Drexler of
Quakertown, Pennsylvania. With the Pierce returned to its original
magnificence, Mr. Jensen showed it at several significant venues,
including the Pierce-Arrow Society National Meet in Minneapolis, an
AACA National Meet in Wisconsin, andtwiceat the Pebble Beach
Concours d'Elegance - in 1991 and 1998. After trading hands to Dan
Gernatt of Collins, New York, the Pierce-Arrow went from strength
to strength, taking two Bethlehem Star awards at the Concours
d'Elegance of the Eastern United States and serving as the poster
car for that event in 2001. All along, the custodians of 66667 have
kept it in top running condition and proving its mettle on numerous
1,000-plus mile tours. The engine, number 66954, is in the proper
66-A-1 specification and benefits from updated ignition, an
electric starter for easy operation while touring, and it remains
in top running order. As recently as 2019, it participated in the
BBC Tour in Pennsylvania and ran without fault. As offered today,
66667 is in superb condition, and the concours-quality restoration
has gently mellowed through years of care and enjoyment on the open
road. The deep maroon paint remains beautifully finished and is
accented with finely polished nickel brightwork. Accessories
include octagonal drum headlamps, nickel carriage lamps, a winged
moto-meter, and more. The black leather interior trim has a rich,
lustrous finish, and the substantial convertible top is fully
lined. The Pierce-Arrow Model 66-A-1 had few peers in its day, and
it is still one of the most awe-inspiring of all brass-era
automobiles. This outstanding example adds fascinating provenance
and a superb restoration to its already impressive physical stature
and represents an incredibly rare opportunity to acquire one of the
fourteen known Mighty Model 66s in existence. Offers welcome and
trades considered For additional details please view this listing
directly on our website
https://hymanltd.com/vehicles/7153-1913-pierce-arrow-model-66/
