1933 Pierce-Arrow Model 1247 Convertible Sedan

Coachwork by LeBaron

462ci L-Head V-12 Engine
Single Stromberg Carburetor
175bhp
3-Speed Manual Transmission
4-Wheel Semi-Elliptical Leaf Springs with Solid Front and Live Rear Axle
4-Wheel Hydraulic Drum Brakes

*One of five known surviving examples with this elegant LeBaron coachwork
*Single ownership since 1988; selectively refinished but never restored
*A favorite tour and CARavan automobile for many years

THE LEBARON PIERCE ARROW TWELVE

Pierce-Arrow was one of America's most famous automakers for the first four decades of the Twentieth Century. It was famed for the masterful engineering of its cars, which while typically conservative were always extremely well-thought-out, dependable, and silky-smooth in operation, with only the finest materials used throughout. The company's signature were the "Dawley lights," the industry's first production fender-mounted headlights, named for designer Herbert Dawley.

When Pierce joined the multicylinder wars of the Classic Era in 1932 with its new Twelve, it debuted, in typical fashion, one of the very finest automotive engines of the era. Designed by Karl M. Wise, the Pierce V-12 was an 80-degree L-head design, that proved robust, smooth, and quiet – as well as an exceptional performer. It would be the centerpiece of the Pierce line through the end of the company's lifetime in 1938. In modified form, the engine set numerous speed and endurance records, and it powered the fabled streamlined Silver Arrow show cars.

The majority of twelve-cylinder Pierces, however, took to Park Avenue, not the Salt Flats or the World's Fair. The lushest were delivered with catalogued semi-custom coachwork by LeBaron, most often fitted to the longest available chassis. In 1933, that translated to the 142-inch-wheelbase Model 1247, ordinarily a platform used for large seven-passenger sedans and limousines. LeBaron, however, would fit a variety of styles, all of spectacular design. Most prominently among them was a stately Convertible Sedan that ranked among the most beautiful four-door open bodies on any Pierce chassis.

Based on their design for the 1931 Model 41 chassis, the LeBaron Convertible Sedan featured a straight-through beltline molding, reminiscent of the Raymond Dietrich designs used on Lincoln Model KBs of the era. Combined with a relatively low roofline, the result was long, sleek, and powerful, and managed to bear Pierce's traditional conservative mien while also being deeply attractive.

Five Convertible Sedans remain in existence today, four of them part of prominent collections from which they are unlikely to soon emerge, including California's Nethercutt Collection. The fifth is that happily offered today.

THE MOTORCAR OFFERED

The Model 1247 Convertible Sedan offered has a most interesting history. Its earliest known owner, Maurice Weinstein of University City, Missouri, reportedly acquired it at the estate auction of a wealthy Missourian. The story at the time was that the car had belonged to the Governor of Missouri and had been kept at the Governor's Mansion for many years; however, there is no documentation to that effect, and it may have simply been used in occasional parades.

Whoever the original owner was, however, there is no doubt that they were a wealthy and powerful individual indeed. Mr. Weinstein was justifiably proud of his Pierce, which he occasionally displayed at shows, including being scored at 91.5 points – still in original condition! – at the Midwest Grand Classic in Indianapolis in 1966. In 1968 it was also pictured in Vol. 6, No. 3 of Automobile Quarterly, as part of a feature article on Pierce-Arrow. Mr. Weinstein treasured the Pierce another ten years before selling it to Sonny Abagnale of New Jersey.

Mr. Abagnale, in turn, passed the car in 1983 to the publisher of the Los Angeles Times and revered collector, Otis Chandler. Known as an avid enthusiast of coachbuilt multicylinder Classics, Mr. Chandler owned some of the greatest examples of all the finest marques, notably building his first collection in the 1970s, selling it, and subsequently building a second outstanding gathering beginning in the mid-1990s.

In an August 1983 letter to Tom Barrett, included in the file, Mr. Chandler mused, "I think I would be most interested in the big 1932, 1933 or 1934 Pierce-Arrow...I enclose a picture from Automobile Quarterly of the kind of big 12 that I would like to have. Go through your memory bank and see where we might find one." The picture enclosed of "the kind I'd like to have," also included in the car's file today, was a Xerox of the article featuring Mr. Weinstein's Pierce...and the exact car in the photo was in the Chandler museum erelong.

It is worth noting that while Mr. Chandler's ownership of chassis no. 3550032 was relatively brief, spanning only a few years, the Model 1247 Convertible Sedan must have made a sizeable impression. He would eventually buy another of the five survivors for his second collection, which he prized until his death.

Chassis no. 355002, meanwhile, was sold by Mr. Chandler later in the 1980s to Tom Barrett. Mr. Barrett refinished the body, which is believed to, until that point, have worn its original paint; otherwise, he left the low-mileage original automobile alone. In 1988 he sold the Pierce to Knox Kershaw, and it has remained a stalwart part of his collection ever since.

According to notes kept by Mr. Kershaw, he undertook an engine rebuild and mechanical restoration, after which the car scored 98.5 points, achieving its Primary First Prize, in CCCA National judging in 1991. Afterward it became a favored touring automobile, used for events such as the CCCA's Pacific Northwest CARavan of 1994 and the "CARavan 2000" that celebrated the Millennium. In 2010 it was displayed at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. It performed beautifully and reliably in each outing, as a well-sorted twelve-cylinder Pierce should.

Such was Mr. Kershaw's enjoyment of driving the Pierce that the full restoration he had planned to undertake has never come to fruition. While the top is an older replacement, in good condition, the interior remains mostly original, showing beautiful and highly appealing patina to the seat covers and door cards. The Barrett paint has largely worn well with only minor signs of age from the Pierce's regular and enthusiastic use. Indeed, the car has never truly been apart, with the body never off the chassis. In addition to the division window standard on the model, a folding rear windscreen is provided, protecting passengers' hairstyles from blowing wind when the top is down – a highly thoughtful touch.

In a recent road test the Pierce performed absolutely beautifully, and it stands ready today for any number of further CARavans and Pierce-Arrow Society events with the new owner. It is a beautiful machine in both performance and appearance – a much-loved tour automobile now passing to its next illustrious owner, in the tradition of Chandler and Kershaw, two names well-known in Classic circles.