Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow History

Unveiled at the 1933 New York Auto Show, the original Silver Arrow was a radically streamlined V-12 fastback by designer Phil Wright — envelope fenders with faired-in headlamps, a smooth tail flowing from windshield to rear, recessed door handles, and no running boards. Its slogan, 'Suddenly it's 1940!', promised a future of aerodynamic design years ahead of its time.

Only five of the hand-built show cars were made, each priced at $10,000 — an astronomical sum during the worst of the Depression — so even the very rich hesitated. The car drew acclaim but no volume.

For 1934 and 1935 Pierce-Arrow sold a more conventional production 'Silver Arrow': a two-door coupe on a standard chassis that borrowed the show car's fastback tail but reverted to a traditional front end, side-mounted spares, and running boards. These production Silver Arrows were built in greater numbers but never matched the purity of the 1933 original, today one of the most celebrated of all American Art Deco automobiles.