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HomePick of the DayTrue Classic: 1926 Pierce Arrow roadster at an affordable price

True Classic: 1926 Pierce Arrow roadster at an affordable price

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Pierce Arrow, a storied name in American motorcar history, built expensive luxury vehicles known for high quality and innovation.  Starting in 1924, Pierce Arrow widened its appeal with smaller, slightly less-costly Series 80 cars targeting upper-middle-class buyers.  As many as 12 body styles were designed on the 130-inch wheelbase chassis.

The sportiest of the lot is the Pick of the Day, a 1926 Pierce Arrow Series 80 Custom Roadster equipped with a rumble seat.  The simple runabout is powered by the correct 6-cylinder side-valve engine with a 3-speed manual transmission.

Pierce Arrow
The roadster is equipped with a rumble seat

The Pierce is described as “partially restored” by the Clinton Township, Michigan, dealer advertising the veteran on ClassicCars.com.  The engine has been rebuilt, the seller says, and the body, fenders and chassis are rust free, although the paint has some lacquer cracking.

“Great running and driving car with Buffalo wire wheels, rear spare mount, Waltham clock and Pilot Ray light,” the seller notes in the ad.  “A wonderful fun roadster to drive and enjoy.”

The roadster looks pretty sharp in the photos with the ad, although they all show the car with its somewhat awkward-looking fabric top raised rather than the racy look of the car with the roof off, as it should be presented.  The windshield also looks incorrect, taller than what you’d normally find on a roadster.

Pierce Arrow
The dashboard and gauges have lovely patina

The maroon-and-black paint scheme looks acceptable in the photos.  Shots of the underside of the car show that it is solid with no apparent rust damage.  The wooden dashboard, antique gauges and steering wheel look wonderful.

The appearance of 1920s or ’30s Pierce Arrows is distinctive, even at night, because of their widely placed highlights mounted on the front fenders.  This one has a single driving light added, and the automaker’s iconic archer mascot is mounted on the radiator cap.

Pierce Arrow
The Pierce is powered by its original inline-6 engine

One special thing about owning this or any vintage Pierce Arrow is that it’s recognized as a True Classic by the Classic Car Club of America, and as such would allow the owner to participate in the club’s shows and activities, and rub shoulders with dedicated classic car collectors at the highest level.

This Series 80 roadster would be a great entry point for classic car ownership with a price tag of just $19,500.

To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.

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Bob Golfen
Bob Golfen
Bob Golfen is a longtime automotive writer and editor, focusing on new vehicles, collector cars, car culture and the automotive lifestyle. He is the former automotive writer and editor for The Arizona Republic and SPEED.com, the website for the SPEED motorsports channel. He has written free-lance articles for a number of publications, including Autoweek, The New York Times and Barrett-Jackson auction catalogs. A collector car enthusiast with a wide range of knowledge about the old cars that we all love and desire, Bob enjoys tinkering with archaic machinery. His current obsession is a 1962 Porsche 356 Super coupe.

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