1930 Pierce-Arrow Model B Convertible Coupe

If you own one of these old chariots and you’ve been thinking about parting with it, this would be a good time to act

Before entering the automotive business in 1901, the George N. Pierce Company of Buffalo, NY, had been engaged in making such diverse products as birdcages and bicycles. Pierce’s first cars were called Motorettes and were powered by DeDion-Bouton engines. By 1903 Pierce was building two-cylinder cars and in 1904 its four-cylinder Pierce Great Arrow arrived. The Great Arrow line expanded to include six-cylinder cars in 1907 and two years later both the company and the marque were re-named Pierce-Arrow.

Only the finest materials were used in these motorcars, including complex but immensely strong cast aluminum bodies. Throughout the years Pierce also pioneered the use of power brakes and hydraulic tappets, and in 1913 the marque’s most distinguishing feature appeared when fender-mounted headlamps became standard on all series.

The cars found great success, and acceptance at the highest social and governmental levels; indeed, Pierce-Arrows...