1906 Pierce-Arrow Great Arrow Tourer

Pierce-Arrow had been a motor car manufacturer for only four years when they produced what was regarded as one of the largest automobiles ever produced. When the top is raised, the car stands seven feet high - 'Great' Arrow indeed. This is the only known example of the Great Arrow from 1906. The car displayed is essentially as it was when produced - it was mildly refurbished, not restored, in 1950. It has its original leather interior and all its original parts. The 2007 Radnor Hunt Concours d'Elegance was its inaugural appearance at a Concours event.

The Pierce Great Arrow, introduced in 1904, was powered by a four-cylinder engine which was upgraded to a larger six-cylinder unit in 1907. The elegant bodies rested on a wheelbase that measured 93 inches and was the first automobile to be bodied with cast-aluminum panels. These stately vehicles carried a price tag to match, around $4,000. In comparison, the Pierce Motorette sold for under $1,000.

The Great Arrows were Pierce's entrance into the luxury car segment. They were more than just attractive vehicles, they had a performance that allowed them to outpace their competition. A Great Arrow won the first five Glidden Tours and proved the vehicle's performance capabilities and reliability. The reputation of the Pierce Gold Arrows quickly soared and the vehicles were in high demand.

In 1908, the Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company was officially established.

This 1906 Great Arrow is powered by a 303 cubic-inch T-head inline four-cylinder engine with a single Updraft carburetor and delivers 32 horsepower at 1,600 PRM. There is a three-speed column shift manual gearbox, two-wheel mechanical drum brakes with a transmission brake, and a live rear axle with semi-elliptical leaf springs.

This Great Arrow was discovered in unrestored condition in the late 1930s by George G. Donald of Middlesex, Massachusetts. Mr. Donald sympathetically restored the vehicle (it was complete at the time, sans windshield and folding soft top) and added a central driving light to the firewall. The restored automobile remained with Mr. Donald for the rest of his life. Upon his passing in 1976, the car was acquired by American Motors designer Dick Teague, who painted the car and fabricated a windshield and a canvas soft top using the original frame, which was not mounted during Mr. Donald's ownership. Mr. Teague sold the car in the late 1980s to collector Earl Snodgrass.

After Mr. Snodgrass passed away in 2004, the Great Arrow was acquired by the William Alley Collection.