This 1905 Pierce Great Arrow was driven on one of the most significant early motoring events ever held! We awarded this Pierce, owned by the Myron J. Schuster Collection, with our National Automotive Heritage Award at the 2025 Greenwich Concours d’Elegance. Our Heritage Award recognizes vehicles which played an important role in American history, meeting the same criteria of the National Historic Vehicle Register. This Pierce was on display in a special class at the Greenwich Concours: “The Glidden Tour Reunion”, which showcased early horseless carriages that either participated in the original Glidden Tour or were representative examples.

This Pierce made history as one of the entrants in the first running of the Glidden Tour in 1905. The Glidden Tour was an automobile rally organized by the AAA to help promote the popularity of the automobile and improve the public perception of the motorist, during a time when cars were largely seen as playthings for the wealthy. The Glidden Tour would prove the capability and usefulness of the automobile to the world.

Above: The Pierce is presented with our National Automotive Heritage Award.

This Pierce Great Arrow was one of over 20 entrants in the first Glidden, which started in New York City and went north throughout New England. The Glidden motorists climbed the Mt. Washington auto road, with an elevation gain of over 4,600 feet before descending and returning to New York City. The route resembling a large figure-eight, covered 870 miles, most of which were on unpaved roads completely unsuitable for automobiles!

Left: Typical road conditions encountered by Glidden Tour drivers. Credit: Detroit Public Library.

Right: Onlookers observe a wreck on the Glidden Tour. Credit: Detroit Public Library.

Left: Glidden Tour drivers embark. Credit: Detroit Public Library.

Right: Glidden Tour cars drew crowds wherever they stopped. Credit: Detroit Public Library.

Above: A map of the route driven on the 1905 Glidden Tour.

The Glidden Tour was a spectacle wherever it went, drawing both positive and negative press. Some automobile manufacturers saw it as a good way to advertise the strength and durability of their automobiles. Held several times until 1913, the Glidden Tours elevated the visibility of the automobile to the American public, leading to increased automobile ownership, the improvement of roads in America, and an understanding that the automobile would be beneficial to the masses!

It is no surprise that a car like this Pierce would be up to the task. Hardily built, it is powered by a 32-horsepower, 302 cubic inch inline-four engine, mated to a 3-speed transmission. As was typical for the time, rear-wheel mechanical drum brakes provide the stopping power. Atop the frame sits 5-passenger “Roi-Des-Belges” coachwork, constructed of cast aluminum.

Founded in Buffalo, New York in 1865, Pierce built birdcages, iceboxes, and other household items. After a foray in bicycle manufacturing, the company built it’s first automobile in 1900. Pierce produced a number of one and two-cylinder models before the debut of the Great Arrow, their four-cylinder model, in 1904. Beyond the Great Arrow and their Glidden Tour successes, Pierce would go on to become one of the most prestigious automakers in history.

Above: The finer details of the Pierce.

This Pierce later went on to be owned by Henry Austin Clark, Jr., a prolific automobile collector in the mid-20^th century. Clark heard of this Pierce before his service in WWII, and when he returned, located and purchased the tattered but original car. He had it restored by acclaimed restorer Ralph Buckley in the 1950s, a restoration it still wears well. The car was a fixture of Clark’s “Long Island Automotive Museum.”

Although the original Glidden Tour was last held in 1913, it was revived in 1946 to celebrate the history of the event and the cars that competed. Clark was an avid tourer, driving the Pierce in the continuation runs of the Glidden Tour, commemorating the original event in which this car participated. The Revival Glidden Tour has been run continuously to this day, through the efforts of the AAA, VMCCA, and AACA.

Left: A Long Island Automotive Museum postcard featuring the Pierce. Credit: AACA Library & Research Center.

Right: A brochure advertising the Long Island Automotive Museum. Credit: AACA Library & Research Center.

Clark sold the Pierce sometime after his museum closed in 1980, and the car passed through a couple of collections before finding a home at the Myron J. Schuster collection, where it resides today. It is no doubt that this Pierce played a significant role in encouraging the adoption of the automobile in America!

Above: M.S. Herman & Co., showing the Pierce, relish in a moment of celebration.