Pierce Arrow Model 66, 1917 Model 66 | Conceptcarz.com - Pictures, Pricing, Information, Wallpaper, History

Along with Packard and Peerless, Pierce-Arrow was one of the fabled 'three Ps' of United States automotive royalty. The firm started in 1901 as an outgrowth of the George N. Pierce Company, a bicycle manufacturer and earlier a bird cage maker. Pierce made its reputation with high quality cars, often custom built for its clients. This car was owned by the same family for 80 years. It was purchased as a 'used car' in 1923 for $800 by the last owner's father. It has a rich history of being driven to Pierce-Arrow meets for over half a century, accumulating over 300,000 miles in the process.

Source - AACA Museum

The Pierce-Arrow Model 66 was one of the pinnacles of American design and craftsmanship of the early Twentieth century. Just like all Pierce-Arrows since 1910, they were powered by a six-cylinder engine. Originally they had a bore of 5.25-inches and a stroke of 5.5-inches giving it 714 cubic-inches of displacement. By 1913 it had grown to have a bore of 5-inches and a stroke of 7-inches. The engine displaced 825 cubic-inches and was double the size of many of its competitors. At 1600 RPM's, the engine was capable of producing 60 horsepower. This means the Type 66 was not only an elegant automobile, it was also a very fast machine. It is believed that the Type 66 had the largest displacement engine ever to power a production automobile. It had 44 more cubic-inches than the Bugatti Type 41 Royale. With an engine of this magnitude, it consumed lots of fuel. The miles-per-gallon was around 8.5, meaning the 36 gallon fuel tank was good for nearly 300 miles. This often posed problems for the drivers, as gas stations were not always readily available.

Pierce-Arrow placed this mammoth engine in a chassis that measured 147.5-inches. It was a suitable platform for many coachbuilders to work their trade. Pierce-Arrow was among the first to use cast aluminum panels in their bodywork, reducing the overall weight of the vehicle while maintaining a high degree of structural rigidity and strength.

In 1914 an electric starter was added. A pressurized fuel delivery system using an engine-operated air pump to pressurize the tank appeared in 1915.

In 1916 Pierce-Arrow introduced their final iteration of the Model 66, the Series 4. This would remain in production until 1918.

From 1910 through 1918, there were 1250 examples of the Model 66 produced. It is believed that around fourteen have survived in modern time and only seven are the Model 66 A-4 series.

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AACA Auto Museum	AACA Antique Auto Museum at Hershey

1917 Pierce Arrow Model 66
Year	1917
Make	Pierce Arrow
Model	Model 66
Body Style	Touring
Engine Location	Front
Drive Type	Rear Wheel
Production Years for Series	1910 - 1918
Price	$6,500.00
Combined MPG	0.00

Engine
Aspiration/Induction	Normal

Standard Transmission
Gears	4
Transmission	Manual

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1917 Pierce Arrow Model 66