1911 Pierce-Arrow Model 48 Touring

Pierce-Arrow was founded in 1865 in Buffalo, NY, and manufactured everything from ice boxes, birdcages, 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 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 earned a reputation as the car of Presidents when William H. Taft became the first President to use an automobile for official occasions. This trend would continue until the last Pierces were offered in 1935. In 1914, they introduced their 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.

By the early 1910s, the company was building six-cylinder models exclusively ranging from 36 to 66 horsepower. The Model 48 was the best-selling of the line and featured a cast aluminum body that is riveted together. The fenders are stamped aluminum. Power was from a 525 cubic-inch straight 6-cylinder engine that offered nearly 50 horsepower and was mounted to a frame that measured 134.5 inches. They had a four-speed sliding gear transmission and rear wheel brakes. There had two extra folding seats, an electric generator and starter, an electric Klaxon horn, gas gauge, autometer, speedometer, rear footrest, rail blanket, electric lights, dual side-mounted spares, and a full set of tools as standard equipment.

In total, there were around 1,000 examples of the Model 48 produced, each selling for around $5,000.

By 1911, Pierce-Arrow's reputation for quality was well-established. Based in Buffalo, New York, it worked with its neighbor, the Aluminum Company of America, to perfect the special techniques needed to cast aluminum body panels as thin as a one-eighth inch, resulting in exceptionally strong, rattle-free, and lightweight bodies. In the early days Pierce-Arrow's in-house chief designer, Herbert Dawley, styled all the bodies for the company.

The past owner of this Pierce-Arrow Model 48 has owned it for several decades. It has been given the highest quality of restoration and service work. It was previously owned by the late Dr. Leo Parnagian, past president of the National Pierce-Arrow Society and former chief judge. It was acquired by its current owners in 2017.