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1936 Pierce-Arrow Town Car Prototype

In the post-World War II era, it was not uncommon for cars to be sent to custom coachbuilders to be bodied with unique designs constructed to meet the needs and desires of the customers. Pierce-Arrow sent many of their chassis to Brunn because they were located nearby in Buffalo, New York. One of their more elegant and memorable creations was the Metropolitan Town Car of 1936 which carried a price tag of $5,795 when outfitted with the twelve-cylinder engine. It was the highest-priced Pierce-Arrow in 1936.

As 1936 came to a close, Pierce-Arrow sent a V12 Limousine with a divider window and a 147-inch wheelbase to the Durham Body Company of Rosemont, Pennsylvania. It is believed that this prototype was possibly a replacement for the Metropolitan Town Car in 1937 but this would never come to fruition. As a result, this is the only example in existence.

This car features a cut-out section from its roof over the chauffeur's compartment. The windshield was raised by three inches. The front door skins and door glass were made and the rear quarter windows were removed using sheet steel. The rear trunk was cut out and replaced by a trunk rack.

This vehicle's first owner was Charles Walker of Manchester, MA. It was purchased by John Grossman after the Second World War who paid a mere $400. He kept the car for a year and sold it to Bob Flynn of Lexington, MA. It later appeared in the New York Times for sale for $350. Ownership passed through several owners throughout the years and during that time was treated to a restoration that took seven years to complete. After this, it was shown at numerous shows and even achieved an AACA Junior First at Hershey in 1986. The following year it earned its AACA First Senior award.

by Dan Vaughan

Town Car by Derham
Chassis number: 3150069

In the 1930s Pierce-Arrow was in poor shape financially, struggling like most luxury car makers. Yet they continued to update their models and introduced new ones in 1936. This car has a custom-built prototype town car body by Derham which was created by extensive modifications of a limousine with a divider window that was sent to Derham. It has been speculated that this prototype was intended to become a new 1937 model replacing the Metropolitan Town Car, but this never happened and the Metropolitan continued in 1937. Thus, this car was the only one produced making it a 'one of a kind.'

Its model 1603 chassis has a 147-inch wheelbase; a 462 cubic-inch V12 engine producing 185 horsepower; a 3-speed synchromesh transmission with overdrive and freewheeling; and vacuum-assisted power brakes. It had one of the heaviest and strongest frames of any car, and Pierce Arrow claimed that their cars were 'the safest in the world.' In spite of the new models for 1936 sales sharply declined and by 1938 the company was insolvent and liquidated.

The first recorded owner registered this car as a 1937; however, its engine number shows it is a 1936 and the second to last V-12 built that year.