Pierce-Arrow Model 38 Park Phaeton
A very elegant Pierce-Arrow with a body by Studebaker, a company which had built carriages for many years until the beginning of the twentieth century when it switched to manufacturing cars.
The beautiful coachwork of this particular car was custom-built for a client who loved conservative styling and a lot of brass. Film stars were taken to premieres in this car. The absence of rear doors afforded them easy access and allowed the ladies to show off their beautiful gowns.
Accessories include brass electric headlamps and Westinghouse pneumatic shock absorbers. The four large shock absorber cylinders can be seen at the front and the rear of the car. For a Pierce-Arrow of 1917 the positioning of the headlamps is exceptional, because a few years earlier the factory had decided to place the lamps in a special casing on the mudguards, which eventually became the main design characteristic of the Pierce-Arrow.
The core activity undertaken by George Pierce in the mid-19th century was the production of cages for birds and other domestic pets. In 1900 the George N. Pierce Company started producing motorcars. One of Pierce’s first models was called the ‘Arrow’, which was later added to the marque’s name.