1930 Pierce-Arrow Model B Sport Phaeton

Pierce Arrow was a leading luxury car maker, competing with marques such as Packard and Lincoln. The company started in 1878 as the George N. Pierce Co. making bicycles and introduced its first car in 1901. In 1908 the company's name was changed to Pierce Arrow and produced luxury cars through the teens, 20s, and 30s. In 1928 Studebaker purchased the company, giving it financial support, but it suffered from declining sales as did all expensive cars because of the Depression. New models were introduced in 1936 but they were not enough to save the company and it declared bankruptcy in 1938.

This 1930 Model B has a 134-inch wheelbase, a 125-horsepower Straight-8 engine, and 4-speed transmission. The car was originally purchased by the Meyer family, who were mill owners in St. Paul, Minnesota. A family member took the car to England in 1938 where it was converted to right-hand drive. It was then purchased by a G.I. who brought it to the United States in 1947 and reconverted it to left-hand drive. In 1970, it was purchased by collector Lee Garoyan who did a full restoration. It went through two subsequent owners before the present owners acquired it through the Volo Museum. It has won numerous awards at concours shows by both previous owners and the present owners including the Most Elegant Open Car at Pebble Beach in 1986.

A new and thoroughly updated inline eight-cylinder engine was introduced in 1929 by Pierce-Arrow, replacing the inline six-cylinder unit that had been in use since the Brass Era. Rated at 125 horsepower, the engine engine offered 25 percent more power from fewer cubic inches.

This 1930 Pierce-Arrow Model B Sport Phaeton was acquired new by a wealthy family of mill owners in St. Paul, Minnesota, and is believed to have been exported to England just before World War II, where it was converted to right-hand drive.

After World War II, the car was discovered by an American soldier who returned it to its homeland, converting it back to left-hand drive after its arrival.

In 1970, Leon Garoyan of Davis, California, found the Pierce-Arrow resting in languishing in Northern California. After acquiring the vehicle, Mr. Garoyan undertook a restoration that spanned more than 15 years. Upon completion, the car was shown at the 1986 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, where it won Most Elegant Open Car. It later went on to win awards at Meadowbrook Hall Concours d'Elegance and Classic Car Club of America Annual Meetings. It has also won the Vanderveer and Weis trophies from the Pierce-Arrow Society.

By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2024