The anatomy of a Classic
A classic car is not always a custom car. Also, the definition of “custom” used here has no connection with “customizing” in the street-rod sense.
Conservatively speaking, a classic car is not always a custom car. Also, the definition of “custom” used here has no connection with “customizing” in the street-rod sense. For decades, classics have been defined as cars of exceptional standing, high in price, notable in features, well powered with milestone power plants, very low in production, and honored as exceptional vehicles when new in the pre-1950 era. This is also essentially the definition of a classic as defined by the Classic Car Club of America for cars it considers Full Classics, its copyrighted label. As time progressed in the late 1930s and into the early 1940s, some classics (such as the 1940 Packard senior models and many 1941 high-end Cadillacs) were made by the hundreds, even the thousands. But only a few of these classics were customs.
Define the word “classic” as the cars that, even when new, turned heads while motoring along boulevards, bystanders straining to see what person of note was in the car. Above the classics were the custom cars, the crème de la crème in design, tastes, fit and finish, with quality extras and superb workmanship as close to perfection as possible. That work was sanctioned by expert artisans whose job was to turn out masterpieces of rolling artistic expression via custom-design houses and/or car manufacturers. Many classic customs were ordered with special features inside or out that reflected the personal whims of the well-moneyed buyer.
The most obvious custom element was distinguished by the body design of the car. It was not a mass-produced body, but hand-built. Bodies could be lower, higher or sectioned upon the discretion of the buyer. Fenders, tops and interiors were, at times, redesigned or appointed — sometimes radically so. Most cars of this caliber were one-of-a-kind or one-of-a-few and even perhaps a limited production run of dozens, as was the case for Darrin-designed Packards. What also set those apart from contemporaries was the series of options and features that were special ordered as extras.
As time progressed, luxury car makers decided to sweeten the pie by using the term “custom” as a model designation, particularly in later years. Packard was among those when it issued its Custom Super Eight versions of the early 1940s. The cars in that range sold for a set high price, which meant buyers could check the “custom” options from a list — all included in the price. That made the car special in the way in which it was finished in exterior trim and interior appointments. Consider the idea to be an early venture into mass-produced customs, a notion removed from the original concept of years earlier. The concept morphed into what became a wealth of options to set one car apart from another in the 1950s and thereafter.
As the initial classic era of cars edged toward its peak, Pierce-Arrow in Buffalo, N.Y., faced a puzzling future as the 1920s trudged onward. As the makers of superb high-priced cars with custom touches, Pierce officials chose not to cater to even the middle class but aimed at the rising uppers and stratospherically wealthy. But the 1920s were troubling years for many car makers. First came survival following a jumbled road to normalization following the First World War’s sudden conclusion. In the early 1920s, that tumultuous period saw the demise of the Lafayette, which was a top-notch car brand in the upper class. Lincoln nearly folded had it not been for Henry and Edsel Ford sweeping in to buy it at a bargain. Both the Lafayette and Lincoln brands were notable for custom design in the strictest sense: their bodies were all handbuilt by custom coachbuilders.
Lincoln was graced with a respite under Ford control while Pierce-Arrow struggled in an up-and-down market through the 1920s. Had it not been for the Pierce-Arrow Series 80 of 1925, the Pierce nameplate may have perished sooner as did other highly reputable brands, such as the Cole Aero-Eight with its magnificent bursts of power and its pre-ordered body designs with touches of special propriety.
Although the straight-eight engine was popularized by such greats as Duesenberg and Packard, the V-8 was fast rising as a motor of choice. Not so for the twelves and eventually the sixteen-cylinder models which had a tendency for a fast rise and slow decline in public preference. Those were not easily kept at peak operable condition unless well-trained, hired drivers kept those in balance. As the era progressed, more owners preferred to take the helm and lessen the need for a chauffeur. Amid this blend was Pierce with its strong and notable six power plants that were not totally in vogue to most young and well-fixed buyers.
To remedy the matter, Pierce offered two lines: the Dual-Valve Six in the high-priced range and the Series 80 for the rising bright lights among the wealthy. Working against the notion of being lesser priced, officials noted in late 1924 that “it is a Pierce-Arrow. It could not be otherwise for it is the handiwork of men whose habits have become firmly fixed through nearly a quarter century of devotion to Pierce-Arrow methods.” Their designs were developed by genius which “has gained the universal respect of the engineering world.”
Wide usage of aluminum in the engine compartment and throughout the body gave this lighter Pierce-Arrow the ability to scoot quicker than most people might imagine a large car could achieve, especially since it was powered by a six. Not many other car companies were attuned to the massive use of aluminum as was the Pierce operation.
In late 1924 and early 1925, Pierce-Arrow Series 80s were trickling from the assembly line with enhanced rapidity, yet each engine was tested, then disassembled for inspection before final re-assembly and sale. It was very discriminating work that had become part of the Pierce-Arrow mystique. While high-end Pierces sold around $7,000 or more, the Series 80 could be obtained for less than $3,000 and up to slightly more than $4,000. On occasion, special attention was spent on a particular car if the buyer wished to fashion the vehicle to specific whims.
Image was important then as now, and Pierce-Arrow officials groomed it carefully. Their Series 80 was hardly cheap, but it was lesser priced than the factory’s highest offering. Yet, custom touches were allowed, perhaps even offered at time of sale.
The Series 80 pictured with this article was one such car. Sold to an Autocar executive when new, he requested a Deluxe seven-passenger sedan to be adapted by removal of the rear auxiliary seats, thus rendering it a five-passenger model with a longer interior compartment. The reason? Its buyer was a disabled veteran from the war. He needed the extra space for entry and comfort as he instructed his chauffeur to guide him to work each day in New York and Long Island. With its Deluxe rounded roofline, the car was one of no more than 500 made, but with its adaptation, it may likely have been much rarer — perhaps even one of a kind.
A small change overall for a custom-ordered conversion. But a sign of a car company’s desire to provide a special custom feature for the buyer.
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