Description
Lot #5028 - Known as the "Arbuckle Pierce-Arrow," this magnificent automobile is one of the only custom-bodied Pierce-Arrows ever built and is a true example of the Golden Age of automotive art and elegance. The car was designed and built at Don Lee Coachworks of Los Angeles, Calif. for the film star Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle. At a cost estimated to be $32,000 it certainly fit his lifestyle and bank account, with his recently signed three-year $3,000,000 movie contract. This made "Fatty" the highest paid actor, over the likes of the other era stars such as Charley Chaplin. In the car's 90 plus year history, it has been owned by both famous personalities and well-known collectors. Movie mogul Joseph Schenck, president of United Artist and chairman of 20th Century Fox Studios, acquired the car from Arbuckle in the early 20s. It was later part of the Art Austria Collection, Jim Brucker's Movie World Collection and the Rick Carroll Collection. Designed by a young Harley Earl, the custom body used several innovative styling characteristics. The body is on a 147.5" wheelbase and stands seven feet tall at the windscreen. The car rests on elaborate 38" custom artillery wheels with all white tires. The 66A-4 engine is of the T-head design, the cylinders, which are cast in pairs, each use three spark plugs. Ignition is provided by both a dual coil distributor as well as another distributor generator. The cooling system holds more than 20 gallons, more than enough to cool the 825cid 6 cylinder engine. It has a 4-speed transmission, rarely seen this early in automotive development. A comprehensive and historically correct restoration began in 2004 and was completed in 2007. The result was a First in Class win at the Pebble Beach Concours, followed by First in Class wins at both Amelia Island and Meadowbrook. The Arbuckle Pierce-Arrow" was also the star of the California Design Exhibition at the Peterson Automobile Museum in Beverly Hills in 2009.
**TITLED BY ENGINE NUMBER**