1936 Pierce-Arrow Twelve Limousine

Pierce-Arrow was founded in 1865 in Buffalo, New York, and manufactured everything from ice boxes and birdcages to bathtubs and bicycles. The first car was built in 1901 and in 1903, Pierce introduced the Arrow, a bigger car. This led to the Great Arrow with cast aluminum body panels and helped build Pierce's great reputation by winning the first five prestigious Glidden Tours.

Beginning in 1901, Pierce-Arrow became known as the car of Presidents when William H. Taft became the first president to use an automobile for official occasions. This practice continued until the last Pierces were ordered in 1935. In 1914, Pierce-Arrow introduced its patented 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 all-new 1936 models were billed as the 'world's safest car' based on the welded and riveted frame comprised of two box side beams, five cross-members, and a center x-brace. They featured 36 major improvements and according to Pierce-Arrow 'set new standards of what a fine car should be like, and how it should drive. The V12 chassis were available in 3 wheelbases, but only 787 cars were built.

In 1936, the V-12 engine found in the Pierce-Arrow Twelve produced 185 horsepower. It had three wheelbase sizes that measured 139-, 144-, and 147-inches. Pierce-Arrow was one of the most recognized and respected names in the automobile industry and for 38 years (1901 - 1938) the company produced some of the finest automobiles made. The cars they produced were large, beautiful, and expensive. For over two decades, Pierce-Arrow supplied cars to the White House for presidential use. They also supplied cars to royal families of Japan, Greece, Saudi Arabia, and Belgium.

This 44,000 original-mile limousine was once owned by the Huntington family, who were owners of a railroad and railway empire.