A 1909 Pierce Arrow Double Roadster
by John Telfer
Title
A 1909 Pierce Arrow Double Roadster
Artist
John Telfer
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
FAA WATERCOLOR MARK DOES NOT APPEAR ON FINAL SALES
While attending one of the premier Classic Car Shows on Long Island in June 2013 on the historical Old Westbury Gardens grounds located in Old Westbury, Long Island , New York. I came across almost immediately this mint conditioned 1909 Pierce Arrow Double Roadster car. I was fortunate enough to run into the owner of the who explained to me that these cars were designed for the very wealthy of the day as I thought the driver and passenger sat up front, he said never. He told me the front seat was built for the chauffer who would get out and turn the crank at the front of the car to start it, then put a foot box down where the owners like the Getty's, Rockefellers, and Vanderbilts would get in the back seat and be driven around. The noted industrial architect Albert Kahn designed the Pierce Arrow Factory Complex at Elmwood Avenue and Great Arrow Avenue in about 1906. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.[4] George Norman Pierce sold all rights in the company in 1907, and he died three years later. In 1908, Pierce Motor Company was renamed The Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company.Hood ornament of a 1919 roadster
In 1909, US President William Howard Taft ordered two Pierce-Arrows (and two White Model M Tourers) to be used for state occasions, the first official cars of the White House. The Pierce-Arrow's engine capacity started as 11.7 L and later was 13.5 L.[5] In 1910 Pierce dropped the rest of its 4-cylinder models and focused exclusively on 6-cylinder cars. The model 6-36, 6-48, and 6-66 continued for the next decade. Herbert M. Dawley (later a Broadway actor-director) joined Pierce-Arrow in 1912, and designed almost every model until 1938.[6] Up until 1914, Pierce-Arrow also made a line of motorcycles.
1919 Pierce-Arrow advertisement; ads for the cars in early years were understated and artistic, and did not discuss details about the cars
In 1914 Pierce-Arrow adopted its most enduring styling hallmark when its headlights were moved from a traditional placement on either side of the radiator into flared housings molded into the front fenders of the car. This gave the car an immediately visible distinction from the front and from either side. At night, the car appeared to have a wider stance. Pierce patented this placement, which endured until the final model of 1938, although Pierce always offered the customer the option of conventional headlamps. Only a minority ordered the option. A restored 1919 Pierce-Arrow is on display at the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library. An open-bodied Pierce-Arrow carried Woodrow Wilson and Warren G. Harding to Harding�s 1921 inauguration.
The Pierce-Arrow was a status symbol, owned by many Hollywood stars and tycoons. Most of the royalty of the world had at least one Pierce-Arrow in its collection. Some have described Pierce and two of its rivals among American luxury cars, Peerless and Packard, as the "Three P's of Motordom." Industrial efficiency expert Frank Gilbreth[7] extolled the virtues of Pierce-Arrow, in both quality and in its ability to safely transport his large family. Its wheelbase was 12 ft 3 in (3.73 m). Actor Sessue Hayakawa famously drove a custom ordered gold plated Pierce-Arrow as a status symbol which angered American families and instilled disdain towards Asian males due to his extravagant lifestyle and romances, which resulted in negative stereotypes of Asian men.
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June 5th, 2013
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