1929 Pierce Arrow Model 143 - 7 Passenger
w/Rear Mount Trunk & Spare

SOLD

BID FOR IT ON EBAY (CLICK HERE)

VEHICLE SUMMARY DESCRIPTION:  1929 Pierce Arrow Model 143 - 7 Passenger 4-Door family Limousine with folding jump seats.  Rear mounted Trunk and Spare, Helmeted Archer Mascot, front mounted Klaxon Horn.  Paint is beige with chocolate brown fenders and trim, and wood spoke wheels.  Trunk and rear mounted spare have custom fitted canvas covers.  Long and elegant with a 144" wheelbase, car measures 18 feet 3 inches bumper to bumper.

VEHICLE CONDITION:  Very Good to Excellent condition.  Older restoration, showing some minor wear and age.  Car is complete save for one hood vent release button on the passengers side hood.  Engine was rebuilt and detailed as part of it's original restoration, runs smooth and quiet with plenty of power.  Car start right up with no problems.  Transmission shifts well and functions as it should.  Niether the engine nor transmission leak any fluids, a real plus in these antique cars!  Paint is good, but does show some age, minor wear and a few chips here and there, still very presentable and with some touch up could be brought back to show condition.  There is a small area behind (and hidden by) the trunk where the paint is cracked and chipped, maybe about the size of a dollar bill, which will need to be repaired.  Interior is in very  good to execellent condition (see pictures), done in a taupe/gray Mohair style material with brown carpets.  The dash is black laquer, looks good but has some chipping around the mounting flange of of choke pull. Klaxon Horn lower portion has some corrosion and will require a replate.  Front and rear bumpers will need to be rechromed though they look OK from a distance.  Speedometer is not working, but all other gauges seem to work fine.  Brakes stop on a dime, hand brake works well too, best I've seen on these vintage vehicles!  

CLICK ON PICTURE BELOW FOR A LARGER VIEW

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1929 PIERCE-ARROW Model 143 TOURING 7 Passenger
Value Guide: Good = $36,700, Excellent = $57,000, Show = $78,000

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BRIEF HISTORY OF THE 1929 PIERCE ARROW :

Founded in 1901, Pierce Arrow was one of America's automotive pioneers. Before the end of the decade had grown out from its humble beginnings to a leading manufacturer, competing with the likes of Rolls Royce. Hugely powerful, but low revving engines gave them a reputation for building very quiet car. Exceptional build-quality made the Pierce Arrow the number one choice for the rich and famous.

In 1918 Pierce Arrow introduced the 'Dual Valve Six', which was equipped with a dual overhead camshaft six cylinder engine, with 4 valves per cylinder. With this very advanced engine Pierce Arrow reached a development peak.  In the 1920s strong competition from Packard and Cadillac strongly affected the Pierce Arrow sales.  The company was on the verge of bankruptcy when Studebaker purchased Pierce Arrow for $2 million in 1928.

Although retaining a good reputation, Pierce let the development of its cars fall behind, with the result that by 1928 the company required financial assistance. Help came from the Studebaker Corp. of South Bend, Indiana., which wanted to market an even more luxurious model than the Studebaker President.

With the infusion of capital, Pierce-Arrow brought out a new line of cars for 1929 powered by a sturdy, side-valve, inline eight with nine main bearings. This turned the tide, and Pierce-Arrow's 1929 sales doubled those of 1928, totaling 9,700 cars. It would be its best year ever. With Studebaker's help, Pierce-Arrow would make it into the 1930s, the classic era of American automobile history.   Launched in 1929 the new car was available with two wheelbases, 133 inch and 144 inch.  Various body styles were available, which included the 7 Passenger Touring Car. With a sales figures of 9,700 cars that year, 1929 was the best year to date for Pierce Arrow and the Model 133 and 144 formed the base for a successful range of new Pierce Arrows.

When the bubble of speculation and false profits of the "Roaring Twenties" finally collapsed the stock market in October, 1929, the Great Depression soon followed. But Pierce-Arrow, like other luxury car manufacturers, forged on Titanic-like, apparently oblivious to the economic chaos around it, or trying to will it away by ignoring it. Not surprisingly, Pierce-Arrow sales for 1930 fell to 6,795, and in 1931 the figure slid to 4,522. But rather than retrench, Pierce pressed on, bringing out an improved Eight model, and then a side-valve V-12 engine for 1932. The '32s were carried into 1933 with little change.

Eye On Stocks For Tuesday, Oct. 29, 1929

Pierce-Arrow Motor Car reported net profit for the quarter ending in September of $719,498 after dividend requirements of $3.04 per share were met for 197,250 Class-A shares. The automobile company's Class-B shares are owned entirely by Studebaker. A.R. Erskine, president of Studebaker, said the recent decline of automobile stocks was unwarranted, adding that business conditions do not reflect the current low prices. Pierce-Arrow shares fell 4 points to $21; Studebaker shares closed down 6 points to $53; Studebaker preferred closed at $123.

SOME PICTURES BELOW CAN BE CLICKED ON FOR A LARGER VIEW

Terms and Conditions of Sale: A deposit is $1000 is due within 3 days of end of auction, balance prior to delivery and within 10 days of close of auction. Buyers are encouraged to inspect vehicles prior to bidding if they desire to inspect vehicle. All inspections desired must be completed prior to bid submission. Bidders are once again reminded that all sales are as-is, where is, and once the auction concludes the sale is binding and is not subject to inspection, rescission, or re-negotiation.

Sold as-is with no expressed or implied warrantee (see legal notices at bottom of this listing).

Shipping and Transport: Buyer will be responsible for paying all shipping and transport costs though I can help with the arrangements if you like and possibly deliver the vehicle within the general areas of WV, VA, MD, PA and some places in NY for a $500 fee. To give you an idea what shipping costs might be to your area, see: DAS Shipping Link (click here).