Untouched for Nearly a Century: A 1928 Pierce-Arrow Model 81 Rumble-Seat Coupe Turns Up in a Massachusetts BarnFinding Old CarsJohnny PuckettThu, September 10, 2026 at 2:24 PM UTCAdd us on GoogleUntouched for Nearly a Century: A 1928 Pierce-Arrow Model 81 Rumble-Seat Coupe Turns Up in a Massachusetts BarnLong before Cadillac, Lincoln, and Chrysler's Imperial defined American luxury motoring, three companies were known as the "three Ps" of prewar prestige: Packard, Peerless, and Pierce-Arrow.Pierce-Arrow entered the automobile business in 1901 and built its reputation on opulence, counting Hollywood stars and royalty among its buyers. Its most famous creation, the streamlined 1933 Silver Arrow, couldn't save the company, which folded in 1938.Classic car documentarian Steve Magnante recently tracked down a 1928 Pierce-Arrow Model 81 sitting in a Massachusetts barn, parked for decades but never restored. Surface rust aside, the wood-spoked wheels and wooden dashboard have survived remarkably well, and the original drivetrain is still under the hood, exactly the kind of untouched condition we love covering in our barn find features.AdvertisementAdvertisementPower came from a 288-cubic-inch (4.7-liter) flathead inline-six rated at 75 horsepower, paired with a three-speed manual gearbox, the last inline-six engine Pierce-Arrow ever built. When new, the Model 81 coupe cost around $3,300, roughly $63,700 today, at a time when a Ford Model A started at just $385.Pierce-Arrow built nearly 5,000 Model 81s in 1928, but the two-door coupe with a rumble seat, like the one Magnante found, is considerably scarcer than the sedan body style, echoing the appeal of other rumble-seat survivors we've featured, such as this 1931 Chevrolet Independence.Rough Model 81s can sell for under $10,000 today, while restored rumble-seat coupes and convertibles top out around $70,000, numbers that likely explain why this coupe has sat untouched for so long. It isn't the only forgotten luxury nameplate we've found rotting away either; check out this 1959 Cadillac Series 62 that turned up in Pennsylvania for another example.Whether this Pierce-Arrow ends up preserved as-is or fully restored, anyone considering a similar project should start with a thorough inspection, and it helps to know where these barn finds are still turning up before you go looking. For now, watch the full walkaround below to see just how much of this Pierce-Arrow has survived intact.