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| Pierce-Arrow Series 4 48HP Seven-Passenger Touring 1916 |
In contrast to Peerless and Packard, which introduced their new V-8 and “Twin Six” V-12 engines in 1916, Pierce-Arrow held firm to its line of powerful, large-displacement sixes through 1927. In particular, Pierce’s hallmark for many years was its T-head engine layout, which was produced in several sizes; for most of the teen years, they were available in 38-, 48-, and 66-horsepower variants. The Pierce-Arrow six was renowned from the beginning for its remarkable power and near silence, a trait that unexpectedly drew the favor of the era’s more successful bootleggers.
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| Pierce-Arrow Series 4 48HP Seven-Passenger Touring 1916 |
Priced from $5,000 to a commanding $6,200, depending upon the buyer’s choice of body style, the Pierce Model 48 was revered when new and perhaps even more so today. It remains a mighty car, capable of carrying the most imposing coachwork and covering great distances with ease.
The car presented here is a seven-passenger touring of 1916, specially ordered without jump seats by Albert Swabacher. Mr. Swabacher was a banker who spent all available free time at a dude ranch he owned in the Teton Mountains, and it was there that the Pierce was kept, used for chauffeured hunting and fishing trips. The present owner has accumulated significant documentation on the car, including a photo showing it converted into a sort of early “motor home” with a bed in the back where Mr. Swabacher would camp out during the hunt, and another showing it being towed up a mountain by mules! It is important to note the horn mounted on the left; while he utilized a chauffeur, Mr. Swabacher preferred to blast the car’s horn himself, and he would often do so to alert his staff that he had returned from yet another expedition into the wilderness.
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| Pierce-Arrow Series 4 48HP Seven-Passenger Touring 1916 |
The Pierce remained in the adventurous banker’s ownership until his passing in 1963, at which point it was sold to Roy Leiske, a collector in Wisconsin. About five years ago, it was purchased from Leiske’s family by the consignor, a noted connoisseur of the Pierce-Arrow, the third owner of the car, and the only owner from whom it will be passed by choice, rather than by fate. An exhaustive two-year restoration to original condition was recently completed, including finishing it in the subtle coach colors of maroon and black, contrasted by natural rubber tires. The car is equipped with a trunk as well as with straps under the top, designed to carry the occupants’ hats—a thoughtful touch then and now.
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