462ci L-head V12 Engine
175bhp at 3,400rpm
Single 2-Barrel Carburetor
3-Speed Manual Transmission
Front and Rear Semi-Elliptical Leaf Spring Suspension
4-Wheel Vacuum-Assisted Mechanical Drum Brakes

*The sole surviving Model 1245 coupe
*Known history back to the early 1950s
*Largely original with mechanical sorting

THE TWELVE-CYLINDER PIERCE-ARROW

The Pierce-Arrow V12 is rightfully held among the automotive engineering giants of the Classic Era. A masterpiece by Karl Wise, it featured its two banks of cylinders mounted at an unusually wide 80-degree angle, and riding on eight rubber mounts. Historian Marc Ralston aptly described it as "a smooth-running, beautiful piece of equipment. It was powerful enough to accelerate smartly the large 5,500-pound chassis. The cars could cruise comfortably at 80 miles per hour." Such performance was well-proven by the great "Ab" Jenkins in endurance runs on the Bonneville Salt Flats, giving Pierce a late-in-life shot in the arm of publicity – and cementing its V12 as one of the finest engines of the period.

The V12 was introduced in November 1931, for the 1932 model year, and would remain in the offering through the end of Pierce-Arrow production in 1938. It was always quite rare compared to the eight-cylinder models, and the authentic survivors with original coachwork remain treasured by their owners.

THE MOTORCAR OFFERED

Any later twelve-cylinder Pierce is a rare automobile, but the example offered here is especially so, as the sole surviving Model 1245 coupe. The use of the two-passenger coupe body on the long 1245 chassis results in an automobile of amazing proportions, with a long hood, rear deck, and small curved roofline, all accentuated nicely by the streamlined styling that Pierce had gradually adopted in the early 1930s. A sleek vee'd radiator shell ended at a long hood with redesigned fender doors, and the body featured tasteful moldings along its flanks to draw the eye.

Pierce-Arrow Society records note that this sole surviving coupe was formerly owned for five decades by Harry Hurst, a longtime enthusiast in Santa Rosa, California, and later Washington State. Mr. Hurst and his family loved the automobile; in a recent conversation, his niece, Selena Critchfield, recalled many rides in the rumbleseat during her childhood in the early 1950s. In later years he regularly drove it to local events such as the Forest Grove Concours.

It was eventually acquired from the Hurst family by Dave Murray of Gig Harbor, Washington, a well-known Pierce-Arrow specialist, in whose ownership much of the present restoration work was undertaken. Mr. Murray recently recounted that the engine was rebuilt and the body partially repainted, and a great deal of other mechanical work accomplished to make the car a fit runner and driver. Afterward he enjoyed driving it very much, including a trip the length of the West Coast to the Pierce-Arrow Society's National Meet in Temecula, California, in 2009. Afterward the car was purchased by Jerry Ball of Texas, in whose excellent Pierce-Arrow collection it resided until its purchase by the current owner several years ago.

Mechanically sorted and a fine road car, the Pierce remains a beautiful machine, in rich black with red striping, tan cord upholstery, red wire wheels with chrome disc covers, and white whitewall tires. Additional ccessories include the desirable dual sidemounted spares, a rear-mounted trunk rack, an accessory AM radio with header-mounted speaker, chrome dual horns, and parking lights, as well as the famous archer radiator mascot. Lovely attention to detail, typical of Pierce, includes a rear window that rolls down to permit conversation with the rumble seat passengers, and large vent windows in the doors.

There is only one surviving 1935 1245 coupe – and this is it, a car of wonderful proportions and impressive power, sure to attract the enthusiast of Classic Era rarity and outstanding engineering. It fairly begs to be driven and enjoyed, so that a new owner can experience it on the open highway in CCCA CARavans and Pierce-Arrow Society events.