366ci, L-head V8 engine 125hp at 3,800rpm 3-speed transmission Semi-elliptic leaf springs front and rear 4-wheel drum brakes *Renowned marque *Original sedan coachwork *For restoration Pierce-Arrow Some idea of the rapidity of Pierce-Arrow's rise may be gauged from the fact that as early as 1909 The White House ordered two for state occasions.

From then onwards Pierce-Arrow would be synonymous with the ultimate in motoring luxury, ranking alongside Cadillac, Packard and Rolls-Royce.

With its prestige and identity firmly established, Pierce-Arrow prospered into the 'teens and early 1920s.

But the company would soon begin to slip.

It clung to its large six-cylinder engines, some of which still used the by now antiquated T-head design, even as competitors almost universally adopted eight-cylinder powerplants.

At the same time, Pierce-Arrow styling remained stiffly formal and overly conservative, while other prestige nameplates pursued the art deco flamboyance that was increasingly co...