By the mid-1920s, American automakers were broadening their product lines in both size and price. In most cases, these new models were smaller and less expensive than their parent companies’ traditional offerings, with some going so far as to create all-new “companion” brands in order to maintain the distinction in luxury.

The George N. Pierce Company of Buffalo, New York had firmly entrenched itself in the “Three Ps” of luxury cars: Packard, Peerless, and Pierce-Arrow. With Pierce-Arrow prices starting at $5,250, nearly $2,000 more than the entry-level Peerless and Packards, the marque found itself at a disadvantage appealing to the new, burgeoning middle class. To remedy this, the firm introduced the Model 80, which started at a more attainable factory list price of $2,895.

The Model 80s were eight inches shorter than the big Pierces and more than half a ton lighter. The Model 80 not only succeeded in boosting Pierce-Arrow sales—by a factor of eight in the first year—but it also helped to strategically reposition the company in time for the introduction of its straight eight-cylinder engines in 1929.

Offered from the estate of Conrad Fletcher, this Model 80 wears an older restoration in the charming period colors of cream with black fenders and beltline over blue button-tufted upholstery. Its wooden artillery wheels have been finished in a complimentary shade of dark blue and shod in whitewall tires. The car’s 4.7-liter L-head inline six-cylinder engine is properly accentuated within a clean and detailed engine compartment. A maintenance record documents work performed over the last three years including the installation of new running boards, an electric fuel pump, an updated Zenith carburetor, and new spark plugs in early 2021.

Featuring desirable coachwork and offered from a well-respected early American collection, this racy Pierce-Arrow roadster will make an enjoyable tour car for any number of vintage events.