Pierce-Arrow Model 66 History
The colossal Model 66 (1910–1918) — its T-head six was for a time the largest engine ever fitted to a production car.
Photo: “Pierce-Arrow Model 66 (7756068126).jpg” by Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0. Cropped to 16:9.
History
The Model 66 debuted for 1910 as the flagship of Pierce-Arrow's new six-cylinder range, named for the rated horsepower of its enormous T-head inline-six. It is regarded as one of the greatest American cars of the brass and nickel era — a vast, stately machine for the very wealthy.
The engine grew over the model's life: roughly 714 cubic inches at launch, it expanded to around 825 cubic inches by 1913, making it for a time the largest-displacement engine offered in any production passenger car. About 1,250 Model 66s were built across the 1910–1918 run, and only a handful survive today, making it one of the most coveted of all pre-war American automobiles.
Generations
Model 66 · T-head six flagship
Photo: “Pierce-Arrow Model 66 (7756068126).jpg” by Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Pierce-Arrow's six-cylinder flagship, powered by a T-head inline-six that grew to around 825 cubic inches — for a time the largest engine in any production car.
1913 Photo: “1913 Pierce-Arrow 66-A-1 Touring 7-Passenger (1418350745).jpg” by brewbooks from near Seattle, USA / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Cropped to 16:9.
1916 Photo: “1916 Pierce-Arrow Model 66 (7756432354).jpg” by Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0. Cropped to 16:9.
1917 Photo: “1917 Pierce-Arrow 66 runabout (15790038262).jpg” by James Case from Philadelphia, Mississippi, U.S.A. / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Related models
Collect the nameplate
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