Want to purchase a 1931-32 Convertible Sedan

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That’s a great car. Different body of course, but the ’33 LeBaron discussed is almost a bargain by comparison. Peter, you bring up an interesting point, about the most expensive motor car you’ve either driven or ridden in…

My answer to such a question would be easy, I was able to have a ride in the Bugatti Royale Berline de Voyage when Tom Monaghan owned it.

Last I heard the Royale’s were up into eight figures, if one could be bought.

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David, I can get you in a Type 41 for under forty five million, straight cash deal. That’s an accurate price from the last six months………..if David passes, I’m sure they are open to other “near offers”.

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Wow, thanks Ed! Uh, just checked my bank account, I’m a little short….

Let me put it this way, if the forty five million represented the distance from my house in Virginia to the West coast, my bank account gets me almost out of my town…

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I had a chance to buy Tom Williams’s ’31 Model 41 LeBaron when Dr. Brunemeier

owned it. I had all my hair and a thin wallet and couldn’t raise $42,000. The

car was in sad shape in the ’80’s and required a large percentage of the $450K

to resurrect it. A fine fellow took pity on me and gave me a ride in it in

restored form. It went so fast I almost got a nosebleed. I learned that early

eights had rapid pickup even in the heavier long wheelbase form. You could go

into the bootlegging business in prohibition days with a fleet car like that.

Peter: If it doesn’t quit snowing here( 2 feet the next 3 days), I’m going to

have to affix that naked man radiator cap to my VW and see if I can win

a prize!

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AC, you mentioned the ’38 convertible, I had a chance (as many people did) to buy that car for $25K in its unrestored form…and for some silly reason passed. To your point, a lot was spent on it’s restoration to current show quality. It premiered in restored form at the 2001 Buffalo meet, beautiful car, if I remember correctly it had some overheating problem that I’m sure got fixed. Ah, the ones that got away…

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At what point of maintaining this passion, does it become a curse?

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I think any passion is a curse at some point in life.

I love the cars, and value the friends that I have all over the United States and elsewhere BECAUSE of the shared love of cars.

Funny you should bring it up, as a friend of mine who is similarly cursed was just discussing this with me this morning. As much as one enjoys having, working on, and driving the old cars, at some point in life they start to become a burden. I’ve owned over 200 cars in my life, a dozen or so of those Pierce Arrows. I’m down to about 10 cars now, and darned if I can keep up with them, even being retired. There always seems to be 2 or 3 of them with fatal flaws. Right now I’m dealing with a cracked block (due to ’38 Packard pour metallurgy), a stripped camshaft gear (on a car that has camshaft bearing cast in place), and a bad water pump (an easy fix, except on a Cord 812).

All that weighs heavy on me, in addition to other projects ongoing.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the cars, and pride of ownership runs deep, but at some point worry about maintenance can overtake the pride.

I sometimes think I’ll sell everything but my beloved Pierce phaeton. However, my whole life I’ve had a lot of cars, and having just one seems wrong somehow…..

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David, I couldn’t agree more and I will quote you forevermore “having just one seems wrong somehow…..””

Robert”

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I believe one person can only take care of four cars and you have to be able to house them and still have shop space.I am fortunate to have four which are very special and a home in the country with the space to keep them.My home is in a corridor where deer come down from high in the mountains and one deer likes to sleep next to my shop.It does not work very well having cars in rented off site storage.What happens if you lose storage? Finding homes though to house multiple cars is not easy.

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David and Robert:

I think I might need to put that quote / saying on a sign or plaque and mount several of them around my shop/ showroom, and home..

Not that the saying will help with keeping up with 7 or 8 pierce Arrow cars and several ‘other’ brands as well.

When I had my first Pierce Arrow, a ’27 Series 80 sedan, I looked with deep envy at some of the Pierce Arrows I saw at meets and at other’s collections.. I NEVER thought that I’d acquire so many, and be unable to sell any of them due to not being able to decide ‘which one’ to be sold.. Maybe photos on a board and a dart thrown blindfolded??

Greg Long

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Greg, if you decide to go the blindfold and dart decision method, I know of people who’d want you to keep your blindfold on as they go see where the dart landed, or should have landed!

I’ve sat down a few times with my wife, and said OK, which ones should we sell. Well, we can’t sell that one, and we won’t sell that one, and this one has great memories, and we always wanted that one….in the end, there’s still no car on the “sell” list.

Although, come to think of it, I do have a 1911 Hupmobile that is going to be sold, as I have a 1910 so don’t need a duplicate. Hmmmm, or do I?

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decisions are , indeed tough. i have been fortunate to have had access to a pierce or two that wasn’t listed on any club rosters and through love and emotion purchased them along the way. now i have 5 and am 77 years old with not much mechanic ability and have trouble keeping them all in running condition. i talk to them each morning as i pass them on my way to my office but that doesn’t seem to help. some decisions have to be made….

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George:

Don’t just talk to them ! Put a crank on each one, and every morning, give the crank a pull, just one compression stroke, that’s all !

That process will keep you and your cars ‘in shape’..

Greg Long

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Finally got my buildings (one display and one garage) are vetted, deposits made and “should”” be up in a few months. Getting our other cars out of hibernation and getting ready for Spring driving.”

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Good news Bill. Are you going to move cars from the storage units and the warehouse when the new buildings are up? That will be a nice setup by the pond.

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