LeBaron 840A Conv. Sedan

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Notice in the above photo how the hood line meets the cowl. The hood and fenders just don’t flow with the body like a later series car. My car above was built in October of 1930 (body) it had factory modofied 31 rear fenders, a 32 nose and front fenders, with 33 and 31 hardware both inside and outside. This is the actual car in the 1933 PA catalog.

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Ed’s statements and conclusions are entirely plausible and fit with what I have been told and researched about the P-A LeBaron Club sedans. I have long suspected that LeBaron may have used those bodies on other marques. When Hugo Pfau indicated that P-A had purchased 10 of those bodies in white, there was no mention of exclusivity. I’ve seen a couple of other marque vehicles with LeBaron Club bodies that looked very similar, but had much different trim and interior features. For cash starved Pierce, leftovers were assets to be utilized if at all practical…and saleable!

Why should it have been any different with the Convertible Sedans? Thanks for the info Ed!

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Ed…whatever Bob Sands did to mentor you really took root. The both

of you have added immeasurably to the pleasure and knowledge that I

have acquired by wandering from Cal. to Meets in the East and Mid-West.

If you have the next meet in Siberia, I would attend. To those new

members and old-timers that have missed out on the Meets, I implore you

to make it a priority to immerse yourself in Pierce-Arrow-hood for

several days out of the year.

Ed, I really like the exquisite door handles you have on your LeBaron.

Do you have any spares you could part with, so I can use them on my

836A?

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Hi Tony, that car is now in the Follis collection in Vista, Ca. I still miss the car after five years, but we can’t keep them all. It is in very good hands. Ed

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In preparation for moving, while sorting unfiled documents (I HATE filing!), I found a photocopy of an article entitled “LeBaron and Pierce-Arrow” by the late LeBaron designer Hugo Pfau in the September 1976 issue of Cars & Parts magazine. I haven’t had the article THAT long! Obviously a PAS member sent it to me, but I can’t remember who… My apologies to that member who should be credited with providing this information. The following excerpt from the article sheds a great deal of light on the issue:

“About the same time [1931] we started these five series of LeBaron bodies for Pierce-Arrow, we also undertook another contract for them, building their production convertible sedans of the time. Like the Stutz production bodies I wrote about recently, we did not consider these LeBaron bodies but just something to help keep the plant busy.

“We worked out a design based on the standard phaeton being built by Pierce-Arrow at the time. In fact, they supplied us with body panel stampings identical to those on the phaeton, which had to be only slightly modified. The actual framework of the body was somewhat different, to accommodate the door windows.

“We also supplied a new and different windshield and, of course, the top itself was of entirely different construction. It is simply not feasible to adapt a phaeton to a convertible sedan.

“These bodies were shipped to Buffalo “in the white,” with paint and upholstery done at the Pierce-Arrow plant. However, we did complete the tops before shipment, as covering a convertible top was a tricky job.

“one hundred of these production Convertible Sedans were built at the LeBaron-Detroit plant during 1931, and some more later on. Like the phaetons on whose design these were based, the doors on these 1931 models were hinged at front and rear, closing on the center post. Some of the later bodies, after Pierce-Arrow had changed their phaeton design, had the doors hinged from a center post with two large exposed chrome-plated hinges. They could be distinguished from the true LeBaron model both by their general appearance and in those hinges. The ones we considered LeBaron had three such hinges on each side.

“Now those true LeBaron bodies of the five styles I have mentioned [i.e., Sport Coupe, Convertible Victoria, Convertible Sedan, Club Sedan, and a “large and luxurious” Enclosed Drive Limousine] were completely finished and mounted in [sic] their chassis [sic] at the LeBaron-Detroit plant. Then they were either driven or shipped by rail to the dealers who had ordered them. On the other hand, the production convertible sedan bodies, not yet painted or upholstered, were loaded on trailers for shipment to Buffalo.

[These bodies were shipped by boat between Detroit and Buffalo on the D & C Lines. Further detail omitted here.]

“Altogether, LeBaron built close to 200 custom bodies on various Pierce-Arrow chassis over the years, nearly all during the ten-year span from 1924 to 1933. When you add in the 130 or more of the production convertible sedan bodies, that is quite a respectable total to have created for one of America’s most prestigious cars.”

[end of article]

The article includes a 3/4 right front photo captioned “A later production Convertible Sedan of 1934, on which the basic body was again built by LeBaron. This photograph was sent to me by the late Morris G. Endres, a true Pierce-Arrow enthusiast, who owned the car at the time.” [NOTE: Appears identical to the car offered by Tom Crook.]

This seems to be the Rest of the Story –with apologies to Paul Harvey.

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George,

This car was purchased new, in NYC, off the show room floor. A gift for Alex R Peacock (high school graduation present) from his mother–Rye, N.Y. Later it was sold to a Everitt Dickinson–Boston, Mass. Sold later to Milford Lempke–Buffalo, N.Y. I was told by one of his employes, at one of his many businesses , that Milford let his sons use it as “field car,” at their “farm,” really an estate. The fourth owner was Morris Endres-Mercer, Pa. The car was restored at “Tinney Cadillac here in Buffalo. I believe Bernie Wiess’ cousin did much of the work-check with Bernie for more info. The next owner was Ted Case, Hamburg, N.Y. He purchased the car from Mrs. Endres-it was still at Tinney Cadillac- and, finished the restoration. It did win the “Vanderveer” the following year in Ind. Ted sold the car and it went out to California.

About 10-12 years ago, a small group of PAS members were holding a “session” out in the parking lot at one of our Meets. The subject came up-“where are some of the cars, now, that we haven’t seen in a while.” When I brought this car up, either you or Bob Jacobson knew of the car, and related that it was sitting behind a building, (restoration shop ?) and was in some pretty sad shape.

A friend of mine, Dick Mulins bought the car and brought it back to the Boston, Mass. area. Knowing Dick, I figured this car now had a pertinent home–big mistake, it seems–I sent him all the information I had on the car. It included many letters from one owner to the next, even some reference of the actual (original) sale in N.Y.C. All lost?

I have never seen a Le Baron tag on it, while it was in this area.

Bob

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Well the good news is this car is back in a club members hands. Currently undergoing a total restoration. I hope to stop in and see it during the restoration in the next several months. If it’s ok with the new owner I will post some photos.ED

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