This spectacular Pierce-Arrow was custom-bodied by the Derham Body Company, of Rosemont, Pennsylvania, and built for Dr. E.C. Leedam, a prestigious physician in the Quaker State who reportedly paid $6,000 for the bare chassis and another $7,000 for the car’s unique bodywork. Pierce-Arrow did not offer a factory convertible on the massive 138-inch-wheelbase Model 80 chassis, so the result of Dr. Leedam’s special order was an automobile of great size and exclusivity. It is believed that this was one of the first automobiles produced with suicide-style rear-hinged doors, which offered easy access to its comfortable leather-swathed interior. A special-ordered Airflex front bumper was installed, along with custom door lighting under the sills and in the rear passenger compartment.

According to the owner, later owners of this special Pierce-Arrow included Dr. Albert G. Hill, a key leader in the development of radar during World War II; Dr. Roland Berger, who performed the car’s original restoration in the mid-1970s; and Clayton Stone, a well-known collector from Monmouth, Oregon. A further rebuild of the car’s engine and other mechanicals was undertaken in the late 1990s, after which it was driven and enjoyed.

This one-of-a-kind Pierce-Arrow is beautifully finished in two shades of cream and has been well maintained by its present California owner. It is offered here in the state where its handsome bodywork was built and where its original owner once rode in dignified fashion behind the wheel.