Fuzzy Dice? 1934 Pierce Arrow 845 Sedan
Those wide, fender mounted headlights have always set the Pierce Arrow apart. In some states, the headlights were too far apart and required a third headlight in the middle. Can you imagine cruising in this old sedan or showing up at a car show? The Pierce Arrow is a car you would expect to find well restored and in a museum or a private collection. These days, well-worn paint can be proudly proclaimed patina and worn with pride. Or, at least, some say so. This Pierce Arrow might have been lovingly cared for by its owner until it was parked and forgotten or it could be an older restoration. The top insert doesn’t look original and it has a new leather interior. The current owner has also done lots of mechanical work over the last 15 years. This Packard is listed on Craigslist for $24,900 in Oxnard, California. The seller also has another Packard and half a dozen other classic cars for sale. Thanks goes to Rocco B for the tip!
The new upholstery is leather but perhaps, from what is shown in the pictures, no more appropriate than the fuzzy dice and that billet aluminum accelerator pedal. The dash and door panels look nice and original, though.
This straight eight was developed with the help of Studebaker in 1928 when Studebaker took over Pierce Arrow. Studebaker provided funding, engineering and even cast the first engine blocks. This engine looks complete and original under the hood and is about as nice looking as the rest of the car. It could use a lot of cleaning and perhaps a bit of paint. The seller has done some mechanical work to get it running well.
Wouldn’t this Pierce Arrow look great in your driveway? The seller seems to be demonstrating how the new owner will spend many happy hours keeping that big straight eight company. At $24,900 it seems overpriced for a car in this state. Completely restored, this car might sell for $50,000 to $60,000 which is less than the purchase price plus restoration costs for this sedan. There are older Pierce Arrow restorations that sell for similar money, like this Roadster Convertible that sold recently on eBay for $28,100. This might be a grand old sedan could be a great driver or a big restoration project for a more reasonable price.
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Comments
I believe the Pierce-Arrow became a Packard in the first paragraph.
Noticed that myself.
then turned back in the last!
I noticed that too.
Great find, David! I love the lines and the front especially with that elaborate metalwork in the front fenders and the dip in the bumper. I don’t know these cars well, but do I surmise that the water pump is driven by a driveshaft off the back of the generator? That would be an interesting way to flow the coolant into the center of the head for even distribution. A very handsome sedan. One angle would be that, in this starting condition, it could be gone through mechanically, driven in The Great Race with no fear of chipped paint, etc. then restored to perfection for the shows. I agree – the fuzzy dice have got to go. That might be the stock gas pedal too. This one looks pretty close http://www.ebay.com/itm/ORIGINAL-1934-PIERCE-ARROW-GAS-PEDAL-RAT-ROD-SCTA-/142471389074?hash=item212bf4df92:g:IJQAAOSwRXRZTFWw&vxp=mtr
Beautiful car. Just intoxicating to look at. Totally agree with the author on the price, though.
It’s a Pierce-Arrow. This car NEEDS to be restored. They’re just special, almost like a Deusenberg. I’ve got a personal thing for them, despite them being light-years out of my range. I actually used to work in the old Pierce plant in Buffalo (It’s now an industrial plaza). Neat place, & houses the Pierce museum.
mechanically restore it, drive the snot out of it. It’s tempting
I was always quite enamored with the Pierce Arrow. Some years ago there was a local farmer who had quite an impressive collection of cars, trucks and tractors. He had a Pierce Arrow with a V-12 in it. I was impressed with the condition it was in despite it having had the rear part of the body chopped off so it could be built into a truck to obtain more gas ration coupons. The front end was in very good condition and the rear fenders were relatively complete. All the hubcabs and trim was still in place; it still had the archer on top of the radiator shell. I don’t know what happened to it; it sold quite high at the farmer’s auction sale in the mid ’80s. It still gives me a bad taste to think that so many of these grand old cars got chopped up into something else and later forgotten….
It is a puzzle what to do with these wonderful old cars, especially when it costs so much more to restore them than they are worth. My neighbor inherited one his father had purchased to haul bricks. He found a buyer in Europe who restored it.
Someone, please save this car!!!
Save this car and rip out the hdeous interior. Great find
Number 1, when will patina please go out of style. Just call it original paint. As for the interior. A little too modern on the seats. I’d pay him to keep the dice. Nice car but the price means someone has been watching too many auctions.
Now THAT is my idea of an automobile! I’d drive it every day, pull it out of the garage and tool down the street with every eye on me. Then take her home and put her back in the garage and pet her a while, do a little polishing………
Perhaps if he throws in that cool neon sign sitting on the ground next to the car a deal could be made. Fantastic car. Fantastic sign.
Pierce-Arrow built the most beautiful non-streamined cars of the 1930s.
I own a 1933 Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow 1/18 scale model that I bought from diecastmodelswholesale.com which is the best diecast model seller ever.