Hood Ornament Highlight: 1938 Pierce Arrow Town Car Limousine

In last week’s Hood Ornament Highlight, I covered an airplane hood ornament found on a 1931 Franklin Series 15 at the Northeast Classic Car Museum. This week features another vehicle found in the same collection, a 1938 Pierce-Arrow Town Car Limousine, which you can read more about in my article about the Northeast Classic Car Museum. Perched on this Pierce-Arrow’s hood is, fittingly, an archer, posed in a kneeling position. His left arm is outstretched, holding his bow which is straining under the tension as he yanks back the bowstring. Typically, the ornament includes an arrow, poised and ready to be fired, but this particular archer seems to have lost his arrow some time in the last 80 years. This hood ornament appeared on most Pierce-Arrow vehicles starting in the mid-1920s until the company went under in 1938. The majestic archer is a fitting mascot for this 175 hp V12-powered behemoth, which cost a whopping $7,800 dollars when new.