1936 Pierce Arrow 1602 Sedan 

Pierce-Arrow advertisements were artistic and understated. Unusual for car advertising, the image of the car was in the background rather than the foreground of the picture. Usually, only part of the car was visible. The Pierce-Arrow was typically depicted in elegant and fashionable settings. Shades of Mayfield Parrish.  Some advertisements featured the car in places a car would not normally go, such as the West and other rural settings, a testament to the car's ruggedness and quality.  The bad news was that in 1936, the pride of Buffalo, Pierce-Arrow, was only two years away from extinction as a maker of premium automobiles. Better news, clearly, existed in the form of a full restyling that same year, which nearly took it out of the realm of custom coach building. 

For consignment, a 1936 version of the Pierce Arrow, this model is the new retool to take some of the customization out of the name plate and save the ailing company money.  The design is still sophisticated, and was typically in a collection of a Hollywood star or royalty.  The introduction of the quad headlight setup, and a wonderfully long undulating steel body with protruding exterior fenders and running boards, the world was changing and this car reflected some of that.  

Exterior
Bathed in beautiful warm gray, steel panels mix with curved fenders, chrome, plenty of glass and wide white tires, to give that air of sophistication, a real big spender feel.  Upfront a vertical ribbed shield style grille angles toward the road and is framed on the bottom by an eyebrow bumper and the classic archer hood ornament leading the way. A long cowled hood with chromed side venting runs to the cabin and flanking on either side are large curved fenders which have the bullet casing quad headlights that have lenses that appear to be gem cut.   A spare tire is strapped to either side and is embedded into the fenders. The doors share a central pillar and allow for easy access for the rear passengers. Moving rearward the large cabin has an extra rear window on either side and an elongated oval back glass. The “humpback" trunk flows gracefully to the rear bumper and another eyebrow bumper which is in shiny pristine condition. Tail lamps in a large chromed bezel protrude from the back of the voluptuous rear fender.  17 inch wire wheels are in deep maroon, have a chromed center hub cap, and are wrapped in wide whitewall tires.  

Interior
Opening the doors reveals ribbed stitched felted gray broadcloth door panels with dainty chromed cranks and door opener levers.  A band of light gray carpeting borders the bottoms and a felted armrest is in the middle.  Window surrounds are mahogany and it is spit shined to the max.  Same for the dash which is also a beautiful mahogany burl and has rounded art deco styled panels housing large round warm cream gauges in front of the driver.  Another rounded panel with vertical ribs has several chromed knobs, an ashtray above and the glove box in view of the front passenger. A large bakelite steering wheel is on in faded black and the center badge is gone missing. Fronting the dash is an overstuffed front bench in a large tub if you will, and is covered in gray broadcloth which shows very clean.  Opening the suicide doors for the rear reveal plenty of space for the passengers who can sit on a large overstuffed rear bench, complete with a central fold down armrest.  This is covered in miles of gray broadcloth and has a few small tuck and roll ribs within its design.  Shades are provided on the smaller rear glass and in back for privacy.  A fold up center jump seat also serves as a foot rest or table for the rear passengers. Light gray carpeting floods the floors and is very clean, and more darker gray broadcloth is reserved for the headliner.

Drivetrain
Opening the cowled hood reveals the signature V-12 engine, weighing in at a whopping 462ci's. It puts out 185hp and is fed by a single 2 barrel carburetor, and has a 3 speed manual transmission with overdrive because after all gas was hovering around .19 cents a gallon. The rear is designated at 4.68 gearing. All is fully restored under this hood.

Undercarriage
Vacuum assisted mechanical drum braking is all around as are leaf springs for the ride. The underside is well preserved and painted in rust free black paint. A solid X frame holds everything together, it's an amalgamation of springs, levers, hoses and the clean exhaust for this large and in charge vehicle. Looking fine underneath.

Drive-Ability
I donned my chauffeur hat and slipped my partner in crime, our crack decoder, in the back and we went on a long drive, chattering away and wasting as much time as we could while thoroughly enjoying the ride. I tested out all the functions and they were working at the time of the test drive. The car has smooth acceleration, good braking, and easy steering. Even the horn sounds aristocratic. In the end we got out, and decided we needed to go again, it was that great.

A fine design in the waning years of this Buffalo based company, it still holds up to its reputation. The feeling of luxury inside, and the look outside. No wonder it was so popular, however with the stock market crash, and all else going on in this pre war time, it would not last long, so you might as well enjoy it while it lasts….Let it ride!

Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special interest automobile showroom, featuring over 650 vehicles for sale with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914. Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.