1927 Pierce-Arrow Model 80 4 Passenger Tourer

Owning a Pierce-Arrow was a status symbol for many of the roaring twenties elite. Any one of their exclusive vehicles was synonymous with excellence, luxury, and well-built design. The Pierce-Arrow Motor Company was the leader in the luxury car field, but they also manufactured fire trucks, motorcycles, commercial trucks, camp trailers, and bicycles. Their claim to fame lay in their smooth, silent, and enormous six-cylinder engines coupled with superb workmanship and dedication that went into each and every vehicle produced.

Pierce-Arrow body designs were incredibly strong and lightweight thanks to cast aluminum body panels as thin as 1/8-inch. The perfect casting techniques were a result of the close brotherhood formed between Pierce-Arrow and its Buffalo neighbor Aluminum Company of America. The artistic Herbert Dawley is credited for the body design as well as the eventual Pierce-Arrow trademark, the headlights faired into the tops of the front fenders.

In 1924 the Model 80 debuted on the scene as the sportiest four-passenger Pierce of its era. Attempting to gain new customers, it was first introduced as a smaller 'owner-driver' companion to the T-head dual-valve six, which was introduced following the armistice. Three years later the marque featured the aluminum-bodied Model 80 with four-wheel vacuum-powered brakes. The fuel gauge was found on the gas tank while the temperature gauge was placed on the dashboard. Smaller and simpler in design than the Series 33 cars, the Model 80 was a much less expensive alternative for luxury enthusiasts. It also proved to be more popular than the Series 33 as the Series 80 far outsold it. The 80 actually became Pierce-Arrow's most popular model ever as it sold over 16,000 models between 1924 and 1927.

Powering the Model 80 was a more conventional 288.6 cubic inch L-head six-cylinder instead of the marques long-standing dual-valve T-head motor. Rather than a pressure system, a Steward vacuum tank was used to supply fuel. Using a reed-valve carburetor similar to the Series 33 cars, only one set of valves and a single ignition system were used.

Setting the Pierce-Arrow cars apart from its competition was the visual identity found in the headlamp set integrated into the skirts, a feature found on the Model 80. The luxury vehicle featured a straight windshield, a triple-lamp taillight, and vertical hood louvers. Custom bodies of the Model 80 were available from LeBaron, Judkins, and Brunn to name a few of the coachbuilders.

In the 1920s the Model 80 sold between $2,895 and $4,045.

The Model 80 was replaced with the Series 81 in 1928. Unfortunately though for the Pierce-Arrow marque, the styling by new designer James R. Way was not well received by the esteemed Pierce-Arrow clientele and the sales fell dramatically.

This four-passenger Touring model is equipped with freestanding headlamps, the so-called 'New York' headlamps necessitated on cars ordered in Pierce-Arrow's home state, where, for many years, the company's famed 'fender lights' were illegal. The freestanding lights were also popular with the company's more conservative customers. Other features found on this car include painted wooden artillery wheels, a single rear-mounted spare, a second windshield with 'wind wings,' and a Motometer atop the radiator. The car is painted pale green over black, with a green leather interior and there are a wooden steering wheel and dashboard.

In 2013, the car was offered for sale at the RM Auction's sale at St. Johns. The lot was sold for the sum of $90,200 including the buyer's premium.

Sources:
http://www.pierce-arrow.org/history/history4.php
http://www.museostradale.com/radnor/piercearrow_80sedan_1927.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierce-Arrow_Motor_Car_Company
http://ucapusa.com/lost_marques_pierce_arrow.htm

By Jessica Donaldson