eBay Find of The Day: Charlie Chaplin’s 1929 Pierce-Arrow

A car that once belonged to Charlie Chaplin, the most famous entertainer in the world, is being sold on eBay. This straight eight Pierce Arrow was released shortly after the takeover of the company by Studebaker in 1928. The dramatic redesign was responsible for Pierce Arrow setting a new sales record of almost 10,000 cars in 1929.

At one point in its existence, the car was owned by Andy Granatelli, President and CEO of STP Corporation and long time fixture in the automotive performance industry. The car was subsequently acquired by the Automotive Road of Dreams Museum from Orange County, CA. See the video below for more on this.

According to the seller, the car has had a meticulous, frame-off restoration. Following the closure of the museum, this car was put into storage and is now being offered to the top bidder. Currently located in Costa Mesa, CA, the car does have a reserve bid which has yet to be exceeded by a current top bid just over $60K. The auction will end on May 15, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. PDT.

With a compression ratio of 5:1 – gasoline quality had a long way to go yet – and a 366cui displacement, the new straight eight engine developed 125 hp, giving the car a top speed of 85 mph. Updated in 1933 to use hydraulic valve lifters, the engine would continue in production until the end of the Pierce-Arrow in 1938.

The Pierce-Arrow company was located in Buffalo, NY, and is still represented there by Buffalo Transportation’s Pierce-Arrow Museum in the downtown area. The Museum houses an extensive collection of automobiles, artifacts and donated items. Plans are underway to recreate a gas station that was designed by renowned architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, within a new atrium for the museum.

If you can’t close the deal on Charlie Chaplin’s Pierce-Arrow, you could spend an interesting day at the museum instead.