1922 Pierce-Arrow Model 33

Like many, the George N. Pierce Company did build bicycles, but its major products were bird cages, ice boxes, and other household items. The company's treasurer, Charles Clifton, was the driving force behind the manufacture of automobiles, and he recommended the De Dion engine to be used in Pierce's first gasoline car. The development of the new Pierce car was the work of British-born engineer David Fergusson, and it entered the market late in 1901 as the Motorette. By the end of the following year, 150 examples had been built. A larger car with a five-horsepower engine was introduced in 1903, and the 'Motorette' name was retired, replaced by Runabout. The company's lineup also included a 6½-horsepower Stanhope and a two-cylinder, five-passenger touring car. Two-cylinder Arrow and four-cylinder Great Arrow models followed in 1904.

The company that would become known as 'Pierce-Arrow' began in 1865 as Heinz, Pierce and Munschauer. George N. Pierce acquired a controlling interest in 1872, reorganizing the firm as the George N Pierce Company. During the early years of the George N. Pierce Company's auto manufacturing efforts, the company was simply the Pierce, and Arrow referred to a model. In 1908, Pierce Motor Company was renamed as the Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company.

In 1905, Percy Pierce (George's son) won the first of the Glidden Tours driving a Great Arrow, followed by victory in the next four events by Pierce automobiles. In 1907, the first six-cylinder model was introduced, and in 1909, U.S. President William Howard Taft ordered two Pierce-Arrows to be used for state occasions, thus honoring the company with the distinction of supplying the White House's first official automobiles.

Herbert M. Dawley joined the company in 1912 and would design nearly every model until 1938. His styling hallmark was introduced in 1914 when he relocated the headlights from the traditional placement at the radiator's sides into flared housings within the front fenders of the car. This patented design would endure until the final models of 1938. On occasion, when clients requested a more traditional headlamp arrangement, the company would honor their request with a more conventional layout.

The Pierce-Arrow company was innovative and renowned for its technological sophistication. They pioneered hydraulic tappets, power brakes, and the use of aluminum. Their engines were a marvel of engineering in their day with their unique multi-valve configuration.

Although its chief rivals Peerless and Packard introduced a V-8 and V-12, respectively, in 1916, Pierce-Arrow held firm to its tried-and-true inline six-cylinder engine through 1927.

Pierce-Arrow Model 33
The Pierce-Arrow Model 33 was introduced in 1921 and was the company's flagship model throughout most of the Roaring Twenties. The 138-inch wheelbase chassis was offered with about a dozen different body styles from the factory, with the aluminum coachwork formed over northern white ash frames with steel fenders and hoods. The motivation was courtesy of the legendary six-cylinder T-head engine with a 414 cubic-inch displacement, four valves, two spark plugs per cylinder, a single-piece cylinder block, and a detachable head. The aluminum crankcase housing the two camshafts was gear-driven off the crankshaft, while the Delco dual-ignition system used two coils mounted on the firewall and a single dual-distributor unit with two distributor caps to fire the spark plugs. The Dual-Valve configuration cylinder head layout allowed the driver to flip a switch, setting it to run on either left or right sets of spark plugs, or both simultaneously for maximum output of an estimated 100 horsepower. The engine was paired with a three-speed manual transmission with a dry-plate clutch, and four-wheel mechanical brakes kept the vehicle in the driver's control. The suspension was via solid front and semi-floating rear axles with semi-elliptical leaf springs.

The Model 33 was the company's first model with left-hand drive and is noted for their great power, flexibility, and excellent road manners.

The 1922 Pierce-Arrow Model 33
The Model 33 was a versatile vehicle with body styles that ranged from coupe and roadsters to Limousines and seven-passenger tourers. Prices began at $6,500 and rose to $8,500, far exceeding the prices of comparable Packard and Peerless vehicles.

The body styles on the 1922 Model 33 included a 4- and 7-passenger tourer, a 4-passenger sedan, a Vestibule sedan, a roadster, a coupe sedan, a 3-passenger coupe, a limousine, a formal limousine, and a landaulet.

by Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2024