1903 Pierce Arrow 15HP

In 1903 Pierce created a vehicle that would make it famous, the Arrow, with the engine mounted under a hood in the front of the vehicle. Most vehicles up to this point placed the engine under the car. The Arrow was capable of carrying four adults and was powered by a De Dion 15-horsepower engine. In 1904 the De Dion engine was replaced by an engine produced by Pierce.

In 1904, the first four-cylinder car to wear the Pierce nameplate was called the Great Arrow. The Pierce-Arrow of 1903 was available with either a 1-cylinder engine that offered either 5- or 6.5-horsepower, or a 2-cylinder engine that boosted power to 15 horsepower. The 1904 Great Arrow had a four-cylinder engine that offered about 24 horsepower, greatly increasing the power from the prior year and allowing even more elegant coachwork to be fitted.

The total production of the Arrows from 1903-1904 was around 125. There are only two that remain in modern times.

by Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2009