Vehicle Description
1936 Pierce Arrow 1602 Sedan
Pierce-Arrow advertisements were artistic and understated. Unusual
for car advertising, the image of the car was in the background
rather than the foreground of the picture. Usually, only part of
the car was visible. The Pierce-Arrow was typically depicted in
elegant and fashionable settings. Shades of Mayfield Parrish. Some
advertisements featured the car in places a car would not normally
go, such as the West and other rural settings, a testament to the
car's ruggedness and quality. The bad news was that in 1936, the
pride of Buffalo, Pierce-Arrow, was only two years away from
extinction as a maker of premium automobiles. Better news, clearly,
existed in the form of a full restyling that same year, which
nearly took it out of the realm of custom coach building.
For consignment, a 1936 version of the Pierce Arrow, this model is
the new retool to take some of the customization out of the name
plate and save the ailing company money. The design is still
sophisticated, and was typically in a collection of a Hollywood
star or royalty. The introduction of the quad headlight setup, and
a wonderfully long undulating steel body with protruding exterior
fenders and running boards, the world was changing and this car
reflected some of that.
Exterior
Bathed in beautiful warm gray, steel panels mix with curved
fenders, chrome, plenty of glass and wide white tires, to give that
air of sophistication, a real big spender feel. Upfront a vertical
ribbed shield style grille angles toward the road and is framed on
the bottom by an eyebrow bumper and the classic archer hood
ornament leading the way. A long cowled hood with chromed side
venting runs to the cabin and flanking on either side are large
curved fenders which have the bullet casing quad headlights that
have lenses that appear to be gem cut. A spare tire is strapped to
either side and is embedded into the fenders. The doors share a
central pillar and allow for easy access for the rear passengers.
Moving rearward the large cabin has an extra rear window on either
side and an elongated oval back glass. The "humpback" trunk flows
gracefully to the rear bumper and another eyebrow bumper which is
in shiny pristine condition. Tail lamps in a large chromed bezel
protrude from the back of the voluptuous rear fender. 17 inch wire
wheels are in deep maroon, have a chromed center hub cap, and are
wrapped in wide whitewall tires.
Interior
Opening the doors reveals ribbed stitched felted gray broadcloth
door panels with dainty chromed cranks and door opener levers. A
band of light gray carpeting borders the bottoms and a felted
armrest is in the middle. Window surrounds are mahogany and it is
spit shined to the max. Same for the dash which is also a beautiful
mahogany burl and has rounded art deco styled panels housing large
round warm cream gauges in front of the driver. Another rounded
panel with vertical ribs has several chromed knobs, an ashtray
above and the glove box in view of the front passenger. A large
bakelite steering wheel is on in faded black and the center badge
is gone missing. Fronting the dash is an overstuffed front bench in
a large tub if you will, and is covered in gray broadcloth which
shows very clean. Opening the suicide doors for the rear reveal
plenty of space for the passengers who can sit on a large
overstuffed rear bench, complete with a central fold down armrest.
This is covered in miles of gray broadcloth and has a few small
tuck and roll ribs within its design. Shades are provided on the
smaller rear glass and in back for privacy. A fold up center jump
seat also serves as a foot rest or table for the rear passengers.
Light gray carpeting floods the floors and is very clean, and more
darker gray broadcloth is reserved for the headliner.
Drivetrain
Opening the cowled hood reveals the signature V-12 engine, weighing
in at a whopping 462ci's. It puts out 185hp and is fed by a single
2 barrel carburetor, and has a 3 speed manual transmission with
overdrive because after all gas was hovering around .19 cents a
gallon. The rear is designated at 4.68 gearing. All is fully
restored under this hood.
Undercarriage
Vacuum assisted mechanical drum braking is all around as are leaf
springs for the ride. The underside is well preserved and painted
in rust free black paint. A solid X frame holds everything
together, it's an amalgamation of springs, levers, hoses and the
clean exhaust for this large and in charge vehicle. Looking fine
underneath.
Drive-Ability
I donned my chauffeur hat and slipped my partner in crime, our
crack decoder, in the back and we went on a long drive, chattering
away and wasting as much time as we could while thoroughly enjoying
the ride. I tested out all the functions and they were working at
the time of the test drive. The car has smooth acceleration, good
braking, and easy steering. Even the horn sounds aristocratic. In
the end we got out, and decided we needed to go again, it was that
great.
A fine design in the waning years of this Buffalo based company, it
still holds up to its reputation. The feeling of luxury inside, and
the look outside. No wonder it was so popular, however with the
stock market crash, and all else going on in this pre war time, it
would not last long, so you might as well enjoy it while it
lasts....Let it ride!
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 650 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.
