1939 Pierce Prototype?

That’s why I added rear doors… 2-dr Lafayette owners had to crawl through the windows!

Seriously though, toggle between the images to see the changes.

The Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 says Lafayette (117 wb) and Six (121 wb) each had shorter hood and front fenders than next larger vehicle, top of line being the Eight (125 wb). They all used identical bodies so the lengths were added forward of the firewall. The catalog was right about the hoods but not the fenders. It appears the Six and Eight are identical and Lafayette might be too. Looking at side views one can see the Eight fenders somewhat forward of the front door hinges, Six even with the hinges and Lafayette aft of them, so much so that I had to convince myself the doors opened all the way by finding a car for sale with a pic of them opened. Sure enough…

For Pierce or any luxury car, using shorty short fenders as a cost save would have been contemptible, which is why I sought out a Lafayette pic to work from, so that the fenders, once lengthened, would be as long as possible while still allowing use of Eight’s side opening hoods (which is trimmed at the front so they wouldn’t squish the archer when opened). In all, the Pierce’s fenders are 9 inches longer than stock Nash, money – or what would have been left of Pierce’s working capital – that would have been well spent.

I like the odds this car would have had in the boom year of 1937, had the car been priced around $2000 in base 366 Eight trim. Probably a third of the likely 1500 – 2000 sales would have been for the richly trimmed Twelve priced in the $2750 neighborhood. Would have been one of the fasted cars on the American road, those 185 horses pulling maybe 4500 lbs tops.

What was really needed was a series of cars of mid-130’s wheelbase like the earlier Studebaker-based 836/1236. Nash coupe’s front door appear to be around 7 inches longer than sedan’s. Were its surface contour to align with the sedan’s rear doors, would have made a nice 833/1233 6-window sedan priced around $2750 in 1937.

Mating that door set with 126 wb sedan’s shorter roof, Pierce could have fashioned rear quarters and deck to make what would effectively have been an update to the 836A body style, only now with enough rear bustle to make the car rather elegant. This is the model that would have generated needed conquest sales in 1937, no other fine car producer offering it. In 1938, Sixty Special would have joined but at least Pierce would have arrived first.