Auction 1936 Pierce-Arrow

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Hello all. We were contacted by Yvette VanDerBrink of Vanderbrink Auctions in Minnesota re her offering a “1936 Pierce-Arrow Country Club Roadster from the Quam collection” to be auctioned September 26, 2015 in Minnesota. If interested, you can go to their website at VanDerBrink Auctions for a photo and more information.

Lead from Henry May

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Here is a link to the auction site.

http://www.vanderbrinkauctions.com/auctions_details.php?detail=170&allimages=NO

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And who doesn’t like a little air conditioning during a hot tour?

A number of other photos of the car are posted, too.

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I know the car. I made several offers on it. It needs a total restoration. Never mind the A/C, look at the wiring!

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It’ll be really interesting to see where it’s bid at the auction. Ed, I agree, that wiring is beyond a mess….looks like the crazy engineer was trying to install a flux capacitor and got sidetracked….

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Takes one to know one. It does distract from the engine compartment, and is likely a safety hazard as I will bet the wiring doesn’t have high temp insulation.

By the way, what color is the green engine paint, and is it applicable to the early ’29 cars? I have a black car, the black engine just doesn’t show off well enough.

Sparky the engineer going back in lurk mode…

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Yes, Bob, as you know, I are an edumacated engrinear…..

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I think it was the work of a former Lucas of England engineer.

Looks pretty standard for my Morgan. Long live the “Prince of Darkness.””

and here is the perfect accessory for that harness”

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Reminds me of the cartoon of the fellow waking up in the hospital after an operation, looking down at his chest, and yelling “OH NO, a Lucas pacemaker!!”

[as an aside, the interesting thing is that Lucas did, in fact, make a pacemaker….one fellow is quoted as saying “I have a Lucas pacemaker, and I’ve never had any trou…………….”]

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I see the auction website shows the car as “passed”” or “”did not sell””.

“

http://https://www.proxibid.com/asp/Catalog.asp?aid=95240

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A good friend who writes auction reports for the American Car Collector

magazine was there and reported that the convertible coupe no-saled at

80k against the family’s reserve of 150k.

The Detroit Electric, however sold for 48k. In discussions before the

auction, we both thought the latter to be the most intriguing vehicle there.

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Interesting high bid and reserve price. Anyone know what the 1601 parts car went for?

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Ed,

I searched around on the web a couple of days ago and saw that it sold $10,000.

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Thanks John. I made offers on both the cars two years ago. I wasn’t too far off on the parts car. It could be saved but it needed a total restoration.

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I ran into a similar situation a number of years ago here in northern Virginia. Fellow died, his son-in-law dealing with cars, had a 36 convertible coupe, V-12, but a Seagrave engine. Car was complete, running and driving, looked OK but tired. The were asking 125K, I was at the house with the son-in-law. He asked me what I thought it was worth, at first I told him I’d rather not say as he’d get upset, he said no, he’d like to know my thoughts. I told him I’d give him 50K for the car right then, as it sits, and of course, he got mad.

He sent it to an auction in Florida, where it high bid and sold at 58K.

Sometimes the family is wrong…..

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Making the rounds again:

http:////www.hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/pierce-arrow/36/2044609.html

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Thanks Michael, for bringing this to our attention. I know that value is

determined when a buyer and seller have a meeting of the minds and that

restoring a car like this would leave a serious dent in ones wallet. Why

can’t a fine, rare, great performing car shake more bucks out of deep

Society bank accounts than what this car has previously inspired? If it was

a convertible of another classic make (Lincoln excluded) that was as rare,

it would do much better. In the future, if properly restored, if there is

any justice, you would think that it would be highly valued( like a mediocre

painting).

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It’s worth $100,000 once you spend $200,000 on it…

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The present color scheme appears to be obscuring this car’s value: the convertible coupe-roadster is a great model to have. This one just needs some work (even if that exceeds $200,000) to make it a rolling center of attention again. This model was one of the Pierces exhibited in the New York Automobile Show, whose photograph was prominently displayed in Town & Country magazine’s coverage of the new 1936 cars.

Seeing that publicity suggests the car in the Pierce catalog was probably the one in the show; I think it was painted yellow. I once asked an owner of another one of these if he knew its original color; he said (I will leave his name out) it was a pale eggshell gray. Edsel Ford demonstrated what could be done with gray-colored cars, so that could be the starting point here.

Brooks

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I have tried to purchase this car twice over the years. We were very far apart on price. The last two or three times it was for sale, two at public auction, I think it made about half of the reserve. Grant Quim drove the car extensively, and it was modified with modern updates……..A/C, alternator, regulator, etc. It all comes down to several issues, and color. While any 36 PA open car is in demand, and very rare, the family and or the estate didn’t see eye to eye in current market value. I have an opinion as to its current value, but I shall keep it close to my vest. Hopefully it returns back to the road, and it’s new owner joins the PAS. It will be interesting to see what happens.

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