1931 Pierce-Arrow Model 42 Convertible Coupe

Having built its first car in 1901, the George N. Pierce Company became the Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company in 1908. Over the three decades that followed, the Buffalo, New York automaker would produce some of America's finest luxury cars. The last Pierce-Arrows were 1938 models.

In every respect, the Pierce-Arrow was a quality product, from its chassis of exceptional reliability and durability to bodies that utilized cast-aluminum panels. Most Pierce-Arrow bodies were built in-house, where they were crafted to the highest coach-building standards.

When Studebaker purchased Pierce Arrow in 1928 for $5.7 million, it became the fourth-largest automobile manufacturer in the United States. Noted designer Ray Dietrich joined the company and redesigned the entire model line. He also added coach-built custom models to the factory-bodied lineup. A 1930 coach-built parade car was sold to the Shah of Persia, which set a record for the most expensive car in the world at the time with a price of $30,000.

Pierce Arrow introduced an all-new model line in 1929. The six-cylinder engine was replaced with a straight eight. This 366 cubic-inch engine generated 125 horsepower and, according to Pierce-Arrow, provided a top speed of 85 miles per hour. Other improvements over the six-cylinder were L-Head valves instead of a T-head and a Stromberg UU-2 carburetor.

The Pierce-Arrow Model 42 line featured new and distinctly modern styling for 1931. The 142-inch wheelbase Convertible model, with its high beltline and broad belt moldings, was especially long, low, and sleek in appearance. Pierce-Arrow's signature fender-mounted headlamps, a marque tradition since 1913, were standard. Chrome-plated rustless steel was used for the radiator shell and numerous smaller components on the 1931 Pierces.

This Model 42 Pierce-Arrow is powered by an L-head inline eight displacing 385 cubic inches, making it the largest of three engines produced by Pierce for 1931. The robust 132-horsepower engine's nine main bearings help it to deliver exceptional smoothness. 'Free-wheeling,' a supposed gas-saving feature briefly popular in the early 1930s, was designed into the manual transmission. The list price in 1931 for this Series 42 Convertible Coupe with standard equipment was a princely $3,650, a sum roughly equivalent at the time to the cost of six new Ford Model A convertibles.

This Model 80 Convertible Coupe is one of approximately 50 built. It has been carefully restored to its original glory. It is a Classic Car Club of America national award winner and 1st place winner at the Pierce National event. The current owners are the fourth and there are currently five Model 80 Convertible Coupes known to exist.