1936 Pierce-Arrow Deluxe 8 Club Sedan

Pierce-Arrow emerged from the Great War with a reputation for building some of the finest luxury automobiles in the world. The Buffalo, New York plant had grown to encompass 45 acres. The Pierce-Arrow employees were famous worldwide for their meticulous craftsmanship. But their fortunes began to rescind as the competition began to capitalize on technological advances made during wartime.

While the competition was busy introducing refined inline-8s, Pierce offered a new six-cylinder engine. It was the first flathead with four valves per cylinder, but it failed to impress the public. In 1928, the company was acquired by Studebaker. A new V-12 model gave hope for the future, but even the Silver Arrow could not save the company. A series of strikes at suppliers in 1932 resulted in hundreds of lost sales, and the following year, Studebaker declared bankruptcy and sold Pierce-Arrow to a group of Buffalo businessmen. Former Auburn president Roy Faulkner was hired and restyled lines were launched in 1934 and again in 1936.

This Pierce-Arrow Club Sedan was once part of the Richard Kughn collection (twice). His collection once numbered 250 cars, all of them meticulously restored and maintained. This Pierce-Arrow is large and stately, with rounded coachwork and a built-in trunk which were standard features on the Sedan line. The engine is a 385 CID unit offering 150 horsepower and there is a 3-speed manual transmission with overdrive and freewheeling. There are four-wheel vacuum-assisted mechanical drum brakes and a leaf-spring suspension system. It has a 139-inch wheelbase, a wooden dash, and currently wears an older restoration.

By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2016