15 Cars That Couldn't Save Their Brand

Buffalo-based Pierce-Arrow, founded in 1901, once ranked with Detroit's Packard and Cleveland's Peerless as the Three P's of Motordom. It was a status symbol for royalty, celebrities, and leading politicians.

Taken over by Studebaker in 1928, Pierce-Arrow regained its independence when Studebaker went bankrupt five years later. Emerging debt-free, it fashioned the stunning Silver Arrow concept shown at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair. The pontoon fenders, tapered tail, lack of running boards, and faired-in headlights (retaining the company's signature flared housing) were easily a decade ahead of the times, delivering on its maker's boast that it was the "car of the future." The silky smooth and quiet V-12 engine made for luxurious motoring. But a $10,000 price tag, 20 times the cost of a mass-market Ford or Plymouth in the depth of the Great Depression, meant only five sold. While the company survived five more years, it never developed a mid-priced car and declared insolvency in 1938.

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/news/vintage-speed/15-cars-that-couldnt-save-their-brand_?src=rss

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