1912 Pierce-Arrow Model 48

What would become known as the Pierce-Arrow company began its adventure into the world of automobile manufacturing at the dawn of the 20th century, with horseless carriages that progressed from steam to internal-combustion engines. In January of 1901, David Fergusson was hired to lead the company's gasoline-powered design work. Later that year, the first Fergusson-designed, de Dion-powered Pierce Motorettes emerged and were sold through Pierce's existing bicycle dealer network.

The company quickly advanced from Motorettes and Stanhopes to the Arrow and four-cylinder Great Arrow, which brought the need for additional capital, much of its supplied by company director George K. Birge. The company's success and infusion of financial resources enabled the company in 1906 to construct a large integrated factory in Buffalo that covered 1.5 million square feet on the site of the 1901 Pan-American Exposition.

The greater role and influence afforded to Birge and other investors led to friction with George and Percy Pierce, who left the automobile business to concentrate on bicycles and motorcycles in 1908. Around this time, due to the company's strong reputation with the Arrow name, was renamed the Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company.

The Pierce Great Arrow won all five of the Glidden Tours from 1905 through 1909, earning the company its reputation for durability, reliability, and performance. In all but one of those events, the Great Arrows achieved perfect scores. Every aspect of the Pierce-Arrow construction process was closely controlled and monitored, including the coachwork. While most luxury marques relied upon outside coachbuilders, Pierce-Arrow relied on its Buffalo, New York neighbor Aluminum Company of America to perfect casting techniques which produced cast aluminum body panels as thin as 1/8-inch. This meant the Pierce-Arrow bodies were strong and lightweight.

Pierce-Arrow's Art Department handled the body designs, led by Herbert Dawley who in 1913 patented the feature that would come to be Pierce-Arrow's trademark, the headlights faired into the tops of the front fenders.

The lightweight nature of the Pierce-Arrow complimented the T-head six-cylinder engine, but the company's pursuit went beyond performance, as they actively sought the business of prominent figures including the White House where every President from William Howard Taft through Franklin Delano Roosevelt rode in the Buffalo company's automobiles. Movie stars who favored the Pierce-Arrow include Tom Mix, Mary Pickford, and Gloria Swanson, who in the process, amplified the vehicle's publicity and recognition.

The first cars to wear the Pierce-Arrow name employed the company's first six-cylinder engines, rated at 36, 48, and 60 hp. The robust nature and tunability of the six-cylinder powerplants convinced the company to focus exclusively on the sixes from 1910 forward until the eight-cylinder engine debuted in 1929. These six-cylinder Pierce-Arrow engines had their cylinders cast in pairs and were supported by aluminum crankcases. Each engine was dynamometer-tested for performance before being completely disassembled, inspected, and tested yet again for smoothness. The 524 cubic-inch unit produced 48 horsepower (NACC rated) - actually 92 hp or more on the Pierce-Arrow dynamometers. Power was sent to the rear wheels via a four-speed selective sliding-gear transmission with two-wheel mechanical rear drum brakes providing the stopping power. The suspension was comprised of semi-elliptical leaf springs at the front with a live axle and three-quarter-elliptic leaf springs at the rear.

The bodies were usually made from 1/8-inch aluminum panels with customers selecting the colors, accessories, and interior materials.

The 1912 Pierce-Arrow model lineup included the Model 36T resting on a 127.5-inch wheelbase and equipped with a 36-horsepower six-cylinder engine. The Model 48 had a 134.5-inch wheelbase and a 48-horsepower engine. The top-of-the-line Model 66 had a 140-inch wheelbase and a 66-horsepower engine. The following year, wheelbase sizes would increase to 132 inches for the Model 38-C, 142 inches for the Model 48-B, and 147.5 inches for the Model 66-A.

The 1912 Model 36T was priced at $4,000 for the four- and five-passenger tourer and the runabout (which had a 119-inch wheelbase). The Brougham and Landaulet listed at $4,900. The Model 48 was priced at $4,850 for the four- and five-passenger tourer, and the three-passenger runabout (on a 128-inch wheelbase platform). The seven-passenger tourer was $5,000, and the Brougham and Landaulet were $5,750. The Suburban and Landau were priced at $5,100 and the Vestibule Suburban at $6,450. Prices for the Model 66 range from $5,850 to $7,500.

The Pierce-Arrow was one of the most expensive automobiles on the road at the time, but they were one of the strongest and finest built, and capable of speeds that few roads of that era could accommodate.

by Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2022