Pierce Arrow 40-PP Touring Car
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Ražotājs : |
Pierce Arrow |
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Modelis: |
40-PP Touring Car |
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Gads: |
1909 |
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Tips: |
Tourer |
By 1905, the George N. Pierce company was producing some of the biggest and most expensive automobiles available. The mainstay of 1905 was the Model 28-32NN, with about 200 made. Available in four body styles, the 28-32NN had a 4 1/2" x 4 3/4" four cylinder engine mounted on a 109 inch wheelbase. The 28-32NN was priced from $4000-$5000. Colour was optional. Also available in 1905 were the smaller Model 24-28N and the larger Model 40-P.
A smaller, 40 horsepower six, the 40-S, was added in 1908. The last Pierce fours were built in 1909, but that year there were three sixes of 36, 48, and 60 horsepower.
Pierce brought out their first six cylinder car in 1907. Like the fours that preceded it, the new power plant was of T-head configuration, displacing an impressive 648 cubic inches. The Model 65-Q Great Arrow had a 135 inch wheelbase and weighed over 4000 pounds. Prices ranged from$6,500 to $7,750. There was little doubt that Pierce was aimed at a very wealthy market. These were good years at Pierce. The reputation earned on the Glidden Tours, as well as other trophies and awards, put Pierce in the very enviable position of being able to sell an entire year's production before the year began!
Powered by Pierce’s powerful 432 cubic inch T-head four-cylinder engine, the 1909 Series PP enjoyed a 124-inch wheelbase, sufficient to accommodate the luxurious seven passenger coachwork which an increasingly affluent clientele wanted even in the wake of the 1907 Copper Panic. With shaft drive, 4-speed sliding gear transmission and dual trembler coil and magneto ignition, the Pierce PP’s individually cast cylinders bolted to a strong aluminium crankcase. Shaft drive to the rear wheels with dual contracting band and expanding shoe drum brakes and semi-elliptical leaf spring suspension on 36-inch diameter wheels completed the conventional but elegantly crafted package that made Pierce’s 40hp Great Arrow a favourite of discerning clients.
Pierce-Arrow's prestige continued to grow in 1909 when President Taft ordered two Pierce-Arrows, a Brougham and a Landaulet, for the White House. President Taft was the first President to use an automobile for official occasions. This tradition would continue into the Roosevelt administration, when the last Pierce-Arrows, 1935 models, were ordered by the White House. The cars used by the White House were leased to the government, however it was not uncommon for the President to buy the cars when they left office.
For 1910, the Pierce-Arrow line was established in a form that would continue for the next decade. Three basic chassis were offered, the 36, 48, and 66. All cars now had six cylinder engines. Prices ranged from $3850 for the 36hp runabout to $7200 for the 66hp landau. This triple line of cars would continue to propel the Pierce-Arrow reputation of quality and luxury.
