By the mid-1920s, American automakers were broadening their product lines in both size and price.

In most cases, these new models were smaller and less expensive than their parent companies’ traditional offerings, with some going so far as to create all-new “companion” brands in order to maintain the distinction in luxury.

The George N.

Pierce Company of Buffalo, New York had firmly entrenched itself in the “Three Ps” of luxury cars: Packard, Peerless, and Pierce-Arrow.

With Pierce-Arrow prices starting at $5,250, nearly $2,000 more than the entry-level Peerless and Packards, the marque found itself at a disadvantage appealing to the new, burgeoning middle class.

To remedy this, the firm introduced the Model 80, which started at a more attainable factory list price of $2,895.

The Model 80s were eight inches shorter than the big Pierces and more than half a ton lighter.

The Model 80 not only succeeded in boosting Pierce-Arrow sales—by a factor of eight in the first year—but it al...