1926 Pierce-Arrow Model 80

From its genesis of birdcage, ice box, and bicycle production, the Pierce-Arrow company of Buffalo, New York, ventured into automobile production in the summer of 1900 with a steam-powered horseless carriage. From humble beginnings, they would become one of America's oldest and most prestigious auto manuacturers, and were leaders in design, style, quality and luxury. They were pioneers within the industry, with their power-operated brakes and fender-mounted headlamps. Herbert Dawley is credited with the styling of the early Pierce-Arrow automobiles, most notably for his patented design where the headlights faired into the tops of the front fenders, a feature that would become a hallmark for the Pierce-Arrow Company. The company formed an alliance with another Buffalo-based company, Aluminum Company of America, to pioneer cast aluminum body panels. Unlike contemporary wood-framed, steel or aluminum panel coachwork, the aluminum bodies were lightweight, corrosion resistant and not subject to squeaks or joint wear.

Pierce-Arrow had the distinction of being the first automobile to be used by the White House, during the William Howard Taft administration in 1909.

Progress was rapid, with the single-cylinder Motoerette replaced by the four-cylinder Great Arrow in 1904, a model that was so successful and prestigious it caused the company to add Arrow to its name. A six-cylinder model was added in 1907, and the final four-cylinder model was built in 1909; six-cylinder engines in various sizes powered all Pierce-Arrow vehicles until 1929.

During the mid-1920s, the Model 33 was powered by a large six-cylinder 415 cubic-inch engine, and the Model 51 used a 525 cubic-inch unit. Comfortably perched at the top of the luxury car segment, the company lacked an option for the younger clientele who was looking for a taste of Pierce-Arrow quality and prestige. The answer was the Model 80, and it was meant to appeal to those who wanted a Pierce but who found the Series 33's size and cost impractical.

The Pierce-Arrow Model 80
Although smaller and less expensive than the rest of the Pierce-Arrow line, the Model 80 remained every bit their equal, with bodies of hand-hammered aluminum over frames of ash hardwood, fenders fabricated from cold-pressed drawn steel, window moldings of Honduras mahogany, and silk window curtains.

The Pierce-Arrow Model 80 was introduced in 1924 and produced through 1927. It was a versatile automobile offered in nine different body styles and attractively priced to attract a wide audience. The 289 cubic-inch inline L-head eight-cylinder engine had an aluminum alloy crankcase and camshaft with seven main bearings and was barely half the size of the T-head 425 cubic inch Model 33, but offered a healthy 80 horsepower (30 less than the Model 33). It was paired with a three-speed manual transmission and the company's innovative vacuum-boosted power brake system, which had been developed in 1924 by Pierce-Arrow engineer Victor Kliesrath and noted racer Caleb Bragg. Weighing approximately 1,200 pounds less than the Model 33 and resting on a shorter 130-inch wheelbase platform, the Pierce-Arrow Model 80 actually outperformed its larger sibling.

Along with the smaller footprint, the Model 80 was further distinguished by its squared rear quarter roofline and windows.

The Model 80 boosted Pierce-Arrow sales by a factor of eight in the first year, and by 1926, sales had increased to 7,500 units annually. It helped to strategically reposition the company by the time eight-cylinder engines were introduced in 1929, and the forthcoming Model 126 and 126 eights owed more to the Model 80 and its 1928 Model 81 successor than to any previous Pierce-Arrow.

Body Styles
The 1926 Pierce-Arrow Model 80 was offered as a four- and seven-passenger tourer, a five- and seven-passenger sedan, a four-passenger coupe, an enclosed drive limousine, and a two-passenger runabout. The four-passenger Coupe Landaulet and five-passenger Coach were new additions for 1926, selling at $3,820 and $3,150, respectively. The runabout listed at $2,895 was claimed to be the lowest-priced car ever offered by the company (post 1905). Many of the other Model 80 body styles were priced on the higher end of the $3,000 range, with the limousine listing at just over $4,000.

by Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2024