Formerly the property of Peter Grant, Manager of Led Zeppelin George N.

Pierce, who founded the company bearing his name, was committed to manufacturing high quality products from the very outset.

After starting with household items such as birdcages and iceboxes, by the 1870's he had expanded into producing bicycles.

As the 20th century dawned, Pierce, like so many other manufacturers, found the lure of the horseless carriage irresistible.

The first Pierce motor car was produced in 1901.

The diminutive single-cylinder, Pierce 'Motorette,' was the automotive acorn from which the mighty Pierce-Arrow would grow.

By 1907, Pierce was producing a large six-cylinder car called the Great Arrow.

During 1908, the company was renamed the Pierce-Arrow Motorcar Company and its products became Pierce-Arrow automobiles.

U.S.

President William Howard Taft ordered two of the Buffalo-built machines in 1909 and indeed were the first cars to join the official White House fleet.

Both company and...