Up for Auction is a unique 1931 Pierce Arrow Land Speed Race
Car. The car was built using an aviation type “bird cage” construction that was
then covered with stainless steel screen and a plastic body. This is the first
known plastic bodied car ever built, well before Henry Ford’s 1941 attempt. Every single part on this car is pre-war,
including the tires. The body was partially covered in aluminum foil around
2013 so that the shape of the design would be easier to view. It is now nicknamed
the “Bake Potato”.
General Specifications: Engine number and chassis configuration show a 1930
model “A” Pierce Arrow 144 inch wheelbase. Engine is a 1930 Model Straight 8
with a custom four carburetor set up and a 4spd transmission. The passenger compartment
was moved back to just in front of the rear axle, and all controls were
extended. Dash includes a full array of instrumentation, including a 300MPH speedometer
(see photos). Other instruments include an altimeter, aircraft clock and
compass. Doors have always had electric door releases. This car uses aircraft aluminum
body spars, flush aircraft rivets, aircraft gauges and even unique aircraft
style door scissor hinges, plexiglass (Perspex) windows were fitted and other
aircraft features. There is also a hand crafted aluminum encased “transmission” attached to the rear of the exterior
water pump/Generator shaft that converts the car’s RPM’s to accurately be
reflected in the Aircraft tachometer.
Missing are the radiator, four carbs and both hood sides. The car is missing its
unique spring loaded bomb-bay outward opening hood sides. These operated on
four hinges that opened towards the outside of the car by a pull handle on the
dash to open immediately upon finishing the required initial one way run to
cool the engine as fast as possible before the return speed run. (Daytona/Ormond
Beach used to require a run in each direction averaged to remove wind factors
with a 30 minute refuel, maintenance and cool down period in between). When you
wanted to remove either hood side for repair, each side had an additional pull
cable latch per side to release “hood pins” on the actual hinges to remove the
hood.
History: THE CURRENT OWNER OFFERS A $1,000 REWARD FOR ANYONE THAT CAN PROVE WHO
BUILT THIS CAR. The current owner has multiple reasons to believe that this car
was built by Preston Tucker during the time he worked at Pierce Arrow as regional sales
manager in the early 1930’s. There are numerous reasons to attribute this car
to Tucker, such as his employment at Pierce Arrow to access a valuable late
model chassis base for the car, his friendship with Harry Miller and their
collaboration on the 1935 Ford Indy cars, Tucker’s aircraft
related businesses and endeavors, his love of all racing and his presence at
all of the Daytona Speed events during that time period.
Tucker was also good friends with Ab Jenkins, who famously walked out of the
Buffalo Pierce Arrow factory with a slightly used 1932 Pierce Arrow roadster to
set multiple speed records with on Bonneville. Even though the board of
directors nixed the idea according to sontemorary news repirts. It was rumored that Tucker tossed Jenkins the keys to
the car and let him take it to make the speed runs after his bosses said no. Ab Jenkins also worked with
Tucker and a designer named Tremulous at the Tucker factory. Tremulis
collaborated with Jenkins on the "American Meteor" streamliner
project in 1946. The seller of this car does not feel it was a serious land
speed contender, but built by Tucker more as a design exercise to try and show
his bosses at Pierce Arrow that the straight 8 engine could out perform the
V-12 using aerodynamics in an attempt to convince them to give up the stodgy
outdated designs of the early 1930’s Pierce Arrow cars with their ungainly headlight configuraton. This car also shares multiple design cues with the 1933 Silver Arrow show cars. If you google "Pierce Arrow Land Speed Facebook" the car's facebook page has more information about that.
The body is state of the art aerodynamics from the early 1930's, including the cam back design and the entire car being wedge shaped to create downforce. There were only a handful of people back in the early 1930's that understood these concepts.
There is a short blurb in an Ormond Beach newspaper about a radical looking car
that broke down on its first one way run in 1931. The current owner believes that
is this car that was abandoned at the Orange City Hotel.
The car was abandoned in the basement of the Orange City Hotel that was
formerly owned by Pappy Hankinson, the “king” of board track racing. Hankinson set
up the hotel as a New Orleans style speakeasy and brothel to attract the “party”
crowd from the dry and conservative Volusia County where the races were held. Pappy
Hankinson is semi-famous for petitioning the government to permit automobile
racing during WWII, adding that he had all of his own tires from the
Pennsylvania Tire Company” that he owned, so it would not take “rubber” from
the war effort. Two of the tires currently on this car are from Hankinson’s
Pennsylvania Tire Company that went out of business during the war. The Hotel also offered garages under the
hotel. This car remained in the basement until about 1988 when the owner liquidated
the contents at auction where it was purchased by the family I bought the car
from.
American Pickers: This car was also part of the 2012 segment “Pandora’s Box” episode
of America Pickers. Mike Wolf explained “How Epic! A land speed race car
in a backyard in Florida”, but they did not purchase it. I purchased it from this same backyard in 2013. It also appeared at the 2013 St. Petersburg Festival
of Speed where it won a large Cystal trophy for the “American Racing Spirit”
award. It has not been shown since.
Car is currently located in St. Pete Florida on the trailer pictured which comes
with the car if it is wanted.
Will speak directly to serious buyers and answer all questions.