1927 Series 80 2-Door Coach Interior Fittings

Hi Randy, the vanities were mounted on the side panels of the rear seat, about 5=6″ below the side windows.

Depending on the model of body, the vanity might be made from laminated wood, covered in leather, often with a gold embossed line around the edges. These are often found on custom body cars, or higher priced models.

The vanity could be made of mahogany, and finished to match the wood window trim. This is usually on a Deluxe model.

The Vanity also can be made of metal, and grain-painted to match the grain painted metal window trim.. This is usually found on Coach model cars.

The vanities are usually equipped on the right or passenger side with an ashcan, and an electric cigar lighter. The driver’s side vanity usually had a slot for a notepad, and another for a pencil.

On some custom body cars, the vanity could be quite special. The driver’s side vanity in ‘Miss Helen’, the Derham bodied series 80 Town Car at the Pierce Arrow Museum at Gilmore, the driver’s side vanity has a built in nickel pated clock, and has a lady’s compact with a small applicator, and a mirror for her to see what she is doing. The right side vanity has a note pad and pencil.. Both are gold embossed leather covered, as I remember, they might be finished mahogany.

The vanities had slotted metal fittings on their back side, There were pan-headed screws installed through the upholstery on the interior panels under the rear windows, These screws were roughly 4″-5″ apart, matching the spacing of the slotted fixtures on the back of the vanity. The vanity slots have a round hole at the bottom of the slot, the vanity is pushed over the two pan=head screws, then carefully slid down about 1/2″/4″ keeping the heads of the screws on the inside of the slots. The padding behind the upholstery keeps tension on the vanity, stopping rattles, and adding friction holding the vanity in place..

Here is the left side vanity in ‘Miss Helen’

Greg Long

There are a pair of nice ones on eBay at the moment for around 300 bucks each. Supposedly for Cadillac V16.

Randy,

The original Series 80 Smoker vanity and its complement with a mirror were leather covered with a thin silver line drawing / design that skirted on the face of the vanity.

They are likely the ones that David Stephens reports are in his Series 81.

They are near impossible to find.

I sold one in need of repair (with the cigar lighter and ashtray) a few years back after hunting for YEARS for its compliment.

I sold it after I hunted and hunted and finally found a matched set in bare mahogany on eBay.

I refinished them and installed them in my 1925 Series 80, 7-passenger DeLuxe sedan.

Peter

Hey Greg,

Was the cooler a standard option on Ms. Helen?

Peter

Hi Peter, it was THAT day, when I drove Her home. It was so hot, it was worth taking a photo of the front porch thermometer, in the shade..

So a cooler with water on ice was a requirement..

The frame has several photos of THE ‘Miss Helen’ who ordered and owned the car from ’26-1948, When she died, she willed the car to her life-long Chauffeur,

Greg

Gents,

My vanities are not from a Pierce-Arrow and after years of searching, I settled on the FIRST reasonable set that I found.

The good news is that they match the woodwork.

Yes, the window trim in the DeLuxe is mahogany and in the Coach is faux-wood painted steel, just like the dashboard on my DeLuxe.

I expect that the position of my vanities is correct, as I had a hole for a wire on the right rear panel and original screws in both of the side panels.

BTW, I would warn against wiring any 90-year-old cigar lighter to make it work in the car unless you redo the wiring in the car AND the wiring in the cigar lighter.

Electrical fires are not fun.

Peter

Here is a photo of my left side vanity. I wouldn’t describe the trim as gold, but it is 90 years old. It was too dark and will try tomorrow for the right. I hope this helps.

James

Apologies it doesn’t work I have only been using eBay for more than 10 years!! —

search Cadillac V16 in Parts & Accessories & they come up

Randy,

Don’t hunt too much for holes, just note the placement of the vanities pictured above.

When you get a set of vanities, make a template of the back of the vanity with attachment holes included.

Then that the template and place it on the side panel for accurate placement.

Peter

Also note the link attached. Single vanity, the seller also has a SET for sale at their eBay store, but they are steel and for 1930s cars.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-CIGARETTE-AUTOMOBILE-ASHTRAY-CADILLAC-ART-DECO-1929-WOODEN-/172270505720