1933 Pierce-Arrow Model 1236 Twelve

Pierce-Arrow ranked among America's most famous automakers for the first four decades of the Twentieth Century and was famed for the masterful engineering of its cars. While typically conservative, the vehicle's well-thought-out, dependable, and silky-smooth in operation, with only the finest materials used throughout. The company's signature styling motif was the 'Dawley lights,' the industry's first production fender-mounted headlights, named for designer Herbert Dawley.

The dawn of the 1930s brought about the Great Depression and the escalating cylinder wars, and both would prove detrimental to the majority of automakers. Pierce-Arrow's entry into the multi-cylinders of the Classic Era was its new Twelve, introduced in 1932 and one of the finest automotive engines of the era. The engine was designed by Karl M. Wise and given an 80-degree L-head design, and in modified form, would establish numerous speed and endurance records. It would be the centerpiece of the Pierce line through the end of the company's lifetime in 1938, and it was powered by fabled streamlined Silver Arrow show cars.

In efforts to shake their conservative image, Pierce-Arrow management hired Phil Write as a consultant to design a new flagship that would show the world Pierce's potential. The result was the streamlined twelve-cylinder Silver Arrow that made its debut at the 1933 New York Auto Show with the slogan 'Suddenly it's 1940!' Styling cues included fully enveloped front fenders, no running boards, and a distinct fastback roof treatment with a triangular rear window opening. Both the design and base price were equally stunning, with an MSRP of $10,000. Only five were built, although the highly advanced styling went on to influence Pierce-Arrow's regular production cars later in the decade, with the Silver Arrow name appearing on a flagship coupe that drew heavily from the Phil Write–penned original.

The majority of twelve-cylinder Pierce-Arrows drove on Park Avenue, not the Salt Flats, and the lushest were those delivered with cataloged semi-custom coachwork by LeBaron. Customers could choose between a 136-, 137-, and 142-inch wheelbase platform, with the 136-inch version employing either an eight- or twelve-cylinder power. The 135-horsepower eight-cylinder Model 836 prices ranged from $2385 to $2,975. The Model 1236 with its 136-inch wheelbase was equipped with a 160 horsepower version of the twelve-cylinder engine and priced from $2,785 to $3,375. The Model 1242 used a 137-inch wheelbase and its 12-cylinder engine produced 175 horsepower. The price range of the Model 1242 ranged from $3,900 to $4,250. The range-topping Model 1247 had a 175 horsepower engine, a 142-inch wheelbase, and was priced from $4,300 to $7,200.

While other luxury automakers diversified their portfolio by moving downmarket to appeal to a wider audience, Pierce-Arrow remained steadfast and continued to offer exclusive, quality, and expensive automobiles. From George Pierce's first single-cylinder Motorette in 1901 to the final twelve-cylinder car built for engineer Karl Wise in 1938, Pierce-Arrow built America's finest luxury motor cars.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2021