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1906 Pierce-Arrow Great Arrow

In 1905, a Pierce Great Arrow was driven by Percy Pierce, the son of founder George N. Pierce, who won the inaugural Glidden Tours. The company would claim the Glidden Trophy for the following four years.

The Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company of Buffalo, New York, began building automobiles at the turn of the century but had been in business since 1865 when it was established as Heinz, Pierce, and Munschauer. Initially, they built and sold household items, including birdcages. George Norman Pierce bought out the other two principals of the company in 1872 and changed the name to the George N. Pierce Company. In 1896, bicycles were added to the product line.

The company began experimenting with automobiles in the late 1890s, including an attempt to build a steam-powered car under license from Overman. Its first single-cylinder, two-speed, no-reverse Motorette was built in 1901, and by 1903 it had produced a two-cylinder car called the Arrow. The Great Arrow followed in 1904, and would establish the company's reputation and the direction of future products. They were well-built vehicles, durable, and expensive. The reliability was proven superior to its rivals on numerous occasions, including the Glidden Tour, a 350-mile race from New York City to Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. Percy won the race in a Great Arrow, beating a field of thirty-three cars.

In 1908, the Pierce Motor Company was renamed as the Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company.

The 1906 Pierce automobiles included a 1-cylinder Motorette Stanhope that had a wheelbase of 70 inches and sold for $900. The other model in the product lineup was the Great Arrow, available on either a 107- or 109-inch wheelbase platform, with prices that ranged from $4,000 to $6,250. Both wheelbase sizes were powered by a four-cylinder engine, while the smaller was rated at 28/32 horsepower while the larger used a more powerful 40/45 horsepower version. The larger of the two had seating for 7 or 8 passengers while the smaller version had body styles that accommodated 5 to 8 passengers.

Pierce-Arrow would add a six-cylinder model the following year, and by 1910 would focus solely on the six and drop the four. A four-valve per cylinder T-head inline six (known as the Dual Valve Six) with three spark plugs per cylinder, was added in 1918. It was one of the only engines ever built using a multi-valve flathead design.

In 1914, Pierce-Arrow moved the headlights from the traditional placement at the radiator's sides to flared housings molded into the front fenders of the car. This would become a styling hallmark for the company, and a feature that would distinguish a Pierce-Arrow from all other cars on the road.

The company would build automobiles for many years, enduring World War I, recessions, and the Great Depression. Its automobiles were status symbols and some of the most expensive and exclusive on the road. This exclusivity would be part of its downfall, which came in 1938, having weathered the height of the Great Depression only to be extinguished in its wake. Other luxury marques, like Packard, survived by offering a less expensive model. Cadillac was able to endure due to the vast resources of General Motors, including the popularity of the newly introduced LaSalle model. Pierce-Arrow remained steadfast, and as the pool of capable buyers dwindled, so did the company's sales, ultimately leading to its demise.

by Dan Vaughan

Tourer
Chassis number: 1651
Engine number: 1651

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.

Tourer

Pierce-Arrow built its first single-cylinder Motorette in 1901 with an engine licensed from de Dion. In 1903, it produced a two-cylinder car named the Arrow, and a year later it built a larger, more luxurious car called the Great Arrow, which became Pierce's most successful product. In 1905, the solidly built, four-cylinder Great Arrow was entered in the Glidden Trophy, an endurance run to celebrate the most reliable cars. Thirty-three cars drove the 1,100 miles from New York City to Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, and the race was won by Percy Pierce, driving a Great Arrow very similar to this example. This car was bought new by railroad tycoon James J. Hill and was used by him on his many travels throughout the United States. It often traveled in its own railway carriage. It was even driven around 17-Mile Drive in Pebble Beach, where Hill's son Louis was one of the original residents. This Great Arrow is one of the most well-traveled cars to survive from the early days of motoring.