Pierce-Arrow Eight (1929 to 1938)

The Pierce-Arrow Eight was a series of luxury cars first introduced in 1929. After Studebaker acquired Pierce-Arrow in 1928, the company developed a new inline eight engine that would become the basis for the Eight. This range of luxury cars were built on various wheelbase lengths, and offered in a variety of open and closed body styles. The first line of Pierce-Arrow Eight included variants such as the Model 125, Model 133, and Model 143. Any time Pierce-Arrow introduced a significant update to the Eight, they created a new model, such as the Model 41 and Model 54, which were later examples of the Eight. In 1933, Pierce-Arrow introduced the Silver Arrow, which was a concept car originally intended for production, but was far too expensive to succeed during the Great Depression. Although the concept car never saw production, Pierce-Arrow decided to use the Silver Arrow name for their Eight and Twelve range. These production "Silver Arrows" featured little in common with the concept car, instead, they used the name in order to aid marketing for their existing models. Production of the Pierce-Arrow Eight lasted until 1938, when Pierce-Arrow ended operations and declared bankruptcy.