1917 Pierce Arrow R-8 Open Back Lorry Registration no. C 9932 Chassis no. 9932

Like its contemporary rival Peerless, Pierce-Arrow of Buffalo,

New York, had sprung from humble Victorian roots – in this case

the manufacture of birdcages, iceboxes and other domestic

items – to become one of America’s finest makers of luxury cars;

indeed, Pierce-Arrows were the car of choice for several American

Presidents. From June 1911 Pierce-Arrow also offered a line of

robust trucks with worm-drive rear axles, starting with the R-1

5-tonner, powered by a 7.4-litre pair-cast T-head engine rated at 38

hp. An improved 5-tonner, still with the 7.4-litre engine – the R-5 –

was introduced, along with the 2-ton X-2, in 1914, and the quality of

the Pierce trucks ensured large orders from the Allies during World

War One. By war’s end, Pierce-Arrow had delivered over 14,000

trucks to the British and French governments via import agents

Gaston, Williams & Wigmore of New York.

A particular strength of the American-built trucks in war service was

their ease of repair. Noted an official report: “The parts of some of the

American cars and trucks were interchangeable to an extent beyond

the comprehension of the average British or French officer.”

Geared to 14 mph, the Pierce-Arrow R-series truck was available in

two chassis lengths, 10ft 10.5in and 22ft 10.5in, with wheelbases

of 14ft and 17ft respectively. It had an x-braced pressed alloy steel

frame, with a degree of inbuilt flexibility to compensate for road

inequalities. Said Pierce-Arrow: “A flexible frame improperly designed

or assembled will by its very nature prove a source of trouble and

expense, and for this reason the Pierce-Arrow, with its pioneering of

the flexible frame, is in a position to offer the perfected article.”

This particular truck on the 17ft wheelbase, which has been officially

dated as 1917 by the Veteran Car Club, was purchased by Michael

Banfield in June 1973 from Pointer Group Transport of Norwich.

It bears the World War One supplier’s plate of Gaston, Williams &

Wigmore on its dashboard. In its previous ownership, this veteran

Pierce had appeared in the 1966 World War One flying movie The

Blue Max, being shipped to Ireland aboard the MV Juno to take part

in the filming, in which it served as a transport vehicle for the hero’s

Jagdstaffel of the Imperial German Air Service. Fitted with open cab

dropside truck bodywork and in running order, it looks all set to play

its part in the forthcoming commemoration of the Great War in which

it served in fact and fiction.

£20,000 - 25,000

€25,000 - 31,000

Done