1933 Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow
- Engine
- 12-cylinder
- Colour
- Two-tone silver and pewter
The first of five Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrows built, this 1933 show car debuted the radical streamlined design at East Coast auto shows before passing to a series of colourful American owners. Based on a 139-inch, twelve-cylinder chassis, it features flush bodywork, inset door handles, and a step-down interior years ahead of its time. After decades of promotional use, Hollywood-adjacent display at Movieworld, and a thorough restoration, it accumulated an exceptional concours record under long-term enthusiast ownership.
Ownership
- —Auction saleSold US$2,310,000
- → 1954Acquisition unknownMr. D'Oyleypartial documentation
Another distributor of the same mineral water brand; car was located with him in Texas when found by the subsequent owner around 1954.
- 1954 →Private saleF. Robert Greenepartial documentation
New York attorney and co-founder of the Pierce-Arrow Society; discovered the car in Texas around 1954.
- → 1996Private saleBlackhawk Collectionpartial documentation
Danville, California collection that briefly housed all three surviving examples of this model simultaneously; commissioned a full restoration by Mike Fennel of Saugus, California, resulting in the current two-tone silver and pewter finish with period-correct striped cloth interior.
- 1996 →Private saleThomas Derrofull documentation
Purchased the car from the Blackhawk Collection in 1996 and made it the centerpiece of his collection; exhibited it extensively at concours events across the United States over more than two decades.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownM.C. Hudsonpartial documentation
San Francisco distributor for a Texas mineral water brand; used the car for promotional purposes in California, with the brand's logos displayed on the doors.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownVarious short-term ownersnone documentation
Per Pierce-Arrow historian records, the car passed through several brief ownerships between Greene and Brucker; no individual names given.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownJames Brucker Sr.partial documentation
Buena Park, California collector known for supplying vintage and unusual vehicles to film studios and for ties to the custom-car counterculture scene; displayed the car in a public museum attraction called Movieworld during the 1970s, finished in silver with blue trim. Car reportedly appeared in a 1976 film during this period.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownDr. Don Vesleypartial documentation
Louisiana and Florida resident; maintained the car for several years before selling it in the 1980s.
Competition
- 19331933 New York Automobile ShowExhibited
Used as a debut showcase for the streamlined design at an East Coast auto show earlier in the year before the Chicago World's Fair.
- 19331933 Boston Automobile ShowExhibited
Part of the East Coast promotional tour for the model during its debut year.
- 19331933 Chicago World's Fair (Century of Progress)Exhibited
Displayed at the Travel and Transport Building alongside other notable American automobiles of the period.
- 19971997 Lehigh ConcoursBest of Show
First major concours honor earned under Derro ownership, the year after acquisition.
- 1999Antique Automobile Club of America1999 AACA NationalFirst Prize
- 20042004 Radnor Hunt ConcoursBest of Show
- 20052005 Greenwich ConcoursBest American Classic Car
- —Classic Car Club of AmericaClassic Car Club of America Senior PremierSenior Premier badge no. 2086
Maintenance & restoration
- —RestorationMike Fennel
Comprehensive restoration to a two-tone silver and pewter finish with a period-correct striped cloth interior, carried out while the car was in the Blackhawk Collection.
Workshop located in Saugas, California. This is described as the car's current restoration state.
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