One of the “Three Ps” of automotive aristocracy in the United States – including Packard and Peerless, a Pierce-Arrow is instantly recognizable thanks to its unique flared-in-fender headlight treatment and elegant hood ornament. Notice this car has more conventional headlights, which are unusual for a US market Pierce-Arrow but available as an option. First spotted by a Pierce-Arrow enthusiast in a Long Island junkyard in 1954, it was later rescued by Jane English, who at the time was publisher of The Arrow, the Pierce-Arrow Society’s quarterly newsletter. Subsequently restored, it joined the Chicago Vintage Motor Carriage collection in 1993.

Similar to other great marques of the era, all was not well at Pierce-Arrow. The company fell victim to the stock market crash of 1929 and the ensuing tough economic times. Until the very end, Pierce-Arrow refused to compromise on its luxury product. The company struggled for just a few more years, unfortunately closing its doors in 1938. In somewhat of an odd postscript and lasting legacy to the Pierce-Arrow story, Seagrave purchased the engine works of the company and used its V-12 engine design to power fire apparatus through the 1970s. That’s quite a tribute to both a remarkable motor and an equally remarkable motorcar.