- Believed to be the only Town Car built in 1937
- A lavish CCCA Full Classic® with custom coachwork by Brunn
- A fixture in the Zimmerman Automobile Driving Museum since 2006
- One of the final examples built before Pierce-Arrow's demise
LOT 140
Selling on Friday
From the Zimmerman Automobile Driving Museum; Coachwork by Brunn
1937 Pierce-Arrow Model 1701 Brunn Town Car
OFFERED WITHOUT RESERVE
Established in 1901, Pierce debuted its first car, the Pierce Motorette, a single-cylinder, two-speed car with no reverse. Seeing success with this, the company moved onward with production, improving on each model as every year went by. In 1928, Studebaker purchased Pierce-Arrow in a merger deal, and Pierce, with its trademarked headlights, went full force in the luxury car market. A strong leader in the market, Pierce-Arrow's sales would start to decline as the Great Depression went into full swing. As each year went on, fewer and fewer cars were built, with an estimated 167 leaving the Buffalo factory for 1937 and a mere 17 in its final year of operation in 1938. A lasting legacy for crafting some of the finest luxury cars, Pierce-Arrow forever cemented its name in the history books of automobiles.
One of the final cars to be built by Pierce-Arrow is this 1937 Model 1701 Town Car that features custom coachwork by Brunn. As the financial department struggled to keep the company afloat and sales were just not there, an estimated 167 Pierce-Arrows were built in 1937, and this example is said to be the only Town Car. Acquired by the Zimmerman Automobile Driving Museum at the end of 2006, this example has been a fixture in the collection and shows years of mellowing and honest patina from museum display. The two-tone silver and black paint show its age, as the restoration took place in the early 2000s, making this the ideal choice for grand classic car touring events.
Features of this CCCA Full Classic® include dual side-mounted enclosed spare tires, a driver window, a removable chauffer's quarter roof, plenty of room for guests in the rear, and, of course, Pierce-Arrow's unique trademarked headlights. Under the hood is a 385-cubic-inch straight-eight engine that produces 150 horsepower and is backed by a three-speed manual transmission: the ideal combination for touring.
Being that it is a grand luxury automobile, it's only fitting the rich and famous have used this Town Car to be chauffeured, as it is said that television host and comedian Johnny Carson, as well as musician Doc Severinsen, rode in the rear quarters while in St. Louis, Missouri.
Recognized as a Full Classic® by the Classic Car Club of America, this one-of-one Pierce-Arrow Town Car by Brunn is a fascinating piece of American automotive history of a forgotten brand that would be a welcome addition to any collection of unique or pre-war automobiles.
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