Pierce-Arrow Tribute Shirt Pays Homage to a Bygone Fire Apparatus Name

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Image info: 1928 Pierce-Arrow Fleet-Arrow-Wagon Fire Truck (source)

Engine Co. Apparel has unveiled a brand new shirt design paying tribute to the Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company. The Pierce-Arrow’s history is detailed below with the design of the shirt available today! We hope to do similar tributes for more fire apparatus manufacturers in the future.

While Pierce-Arrow was more known for expensive luxury cars, they also made fire engines. However, their involvement in the fire service was probably more well known for the engines they supplied to Seagrave, or their second hand cars which were altered and rebuilt as fire engines.

“Although the Arrow name was used for their first custom chassis which debuted in 1979, the company has no affiliation with George N. Pierce’s famous Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company of Buffalo, New York, which operated from 1901 to 1938. However, the Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company coincidentally supplied 8- and 12-cylinder engines to Seagrave for use in their fire apparatus. These engines continued to be made even after Pierce-Arrow ceased operation in 1938. Seagrave continued to deliver fire apparatus with the “Pierce-Arrow” V-12 until 1970.” (source)

“Several second-hand Pierce-Arrow cars were bought by fire departments, stripped down to the chassis and engine, the wheelbase lengthened, and built back into fire engines. Some of these fire engines were in service for up to 20 years.” (source)

Engine Co. Apparel offers the Pierce-Arrow Tribute Shirt in Men’s and Children’s sizes. Shop here