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The Heintz, Peirce and Munschauer Company was founded in Bufallo, NY in 1865. Here they produced birdcages, iceboxes and other around-the-house merchandise. In 1872 George N. Pierce bought out his partners and formed the George N. Pierce Company. Bicycles were added by 1896 as well as a gentleman named Colonel Charles Clifton. Clifton started the automobile buzz at the Pierce Company. Steam engined prototypes were built in 1900 but a suitable design was not to be had and the engines failed. A European trip by Clifton netted De Dion single-cylinder petrol engines. A new protoytpe was completed by late 1900 and an English engineer, David Fergusson, was hired in early 1901. Within months Fergusson had two running prototypes. The company's bicycle dealers were shown the new automobile, called the Motorette, as testing continued. Production began before the end of 1901. 1902 started off well enough as 150 examples of the Motorette were produced. Twin-cylinder models came about the following year and the name "Pierce-Arrow" showed up as a model name in 1904. Competition success came as early as The Glidden Tour of July, 1905. With the owner's son at the wheel of one of the company's four-cylinder models, the Great Arrow, Percy Pierce captured the inagural Tour. Victory in The Glidden Tour was clockwork for the next four runnings. 1909 saw the company officially alter its name to "Pierce-Arrow." Production had risen progressively year after year but 1912 saw their first decline. It was not until 2,136 vehicles were produced in 1919 that the company had exceeded the 1911 high. Production increases and drops were common for the remainder of Pierce-Arrow production. A record of 8,422 were produced in 1929. From there on figures drop each year until in 1938 only 26 were made. Up to the end Pierce-Arrow cars were remarkable examples of beauty, engineering and class. The Pierce-Arrow company was auctioned off on the 13th of May, 1938. A Friday. The Pierce-Arrow seen here is a 1935 Model 1245. Powered by a 175bhp 12-cylinder engine. Original sticker price was $3,395. Today this pristine example would fetch around $80,000. |