1930 Pierce-Arrow Model B Convertible Victoria

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.

This Model B is adorned with a Convertible Victoria body built by the coachbuilding firm Waterhouse. They were incorporated in 1928 in Webster, Massachusetts and it is estimated that they produced only 296 bodies. Of these, only three were built on Pierce Arrow chassis and this is the only Convertible Victoria known to exist. This is also the only known surviving Waterhouse-bodied Pierce Arrow. It features its original paint colors of tan and blue as well as its original upholstery colors.

Mr. Waterhouse, the owner of the automobile, is the Grandson of Charles L. Waterhouse, one of the founders of the Waterhouse Custom Body Co. The car is a 1930 Pierce Arrow, 8, Model B Convertible Victoria with Waterhouse coachwork.

The story of the car begins in 1940 when it was purchased by Mr. F. Porter Sargent in New England. The car had been used frequently by Mr. Sargent as a family vehicle to transport the family to various functions and tour the New England States. After Mr. Sargents' death, the car had remained in the family for many years.

Mrs. Sargent attempted to have the car restored, but due to the bad health of the restorer the project was terminated and the parts were packed away in boxes.

The car remained disassembled for 15-plus years until Mr. Waterhouse found out about the car and contacted the Sargent family about a possible acquisition of the car. He purchased the car in 2004 and the restoration was completed in 2008. The car was given a historically accurate rotisserie restoration. Proprietor Jon Abraham-son used the owner's substantial documentation to ensure the most authentic restoration was executed, from properly refinishing the artillery-style wheels to repainting the original two-tone liver of Orville Blue and Briarcliff Beige.

In 1865, Pierce-Arrow was founded in Buffalo, New York as a diversified manufacturer. The first car was built in 1901 and in 1903, Pierce introduced a bigger car called the Arrow. This led to then Great Arrow with cast aluminum body panels on a 93-inch wheelbase and helped build Pierce's great reputation by winning the first five prestigious Glidden Tours.

Beginning in 1909, Pierce-Arrow became known as the car of Presidents when President Taft used one for official occasions. This practice continued until the last Pierces were ordered in 1935. In 1914, Pierce-Arrow introduced integral fender headlamps as an option which became the most recognized design cue for Pierce-Arrows for the rest of the company's history.

The Waterhouse Company of Webster, MA had a brief custom body building history of fewer than six years starting in 1928 during which it turned out 296 custom and semi-custom automobile bodies. Only three were built in Pierce-Arrow chassis. This car is the only Pierce Arrow to survive among a total of 28 surviving Waterhouse-bodied cars.