They were destined for the Salt Flats of Bonneville
Masterfully drawn for ultimate aerodynamic performance by the legendary designer Luigi Colani, six visionary hypercar design studies were created to mark the heritage of the prestigious Pierce-Arrow name.
I had the privilege of working alongside Luigi Colani during the PA Silver-Arrow homage project. Through this close collaboration, I witnessed first-hand the passion, creativity, and ambition that shaped what would become one of the most visionary automotive concepts of the 21st century.
According to Luigi Colani, the origins of the Pierce-Arrow by Colani project date back to his childhood. At the age of nine, he was captivated by the legendary streamlined Silver Arrows from Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union fighting for speed records at the AVUS circuit in his hometown Berlin.
At the same time, he became aware of the famous Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrows, which he regarded as the world's most exclusive and expensive streamlined concept automobiles. Only five halo cars were handcrafted in 1933.
These two early impressions remained with him throughout his life and ultimately inspired the Pierce-Arrow "sixpack" project: one more than the five from 1933, in full alignment with the six principles of design. A vision that combined the elegance of the Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrows with the speed and engineering spirit of the German Silver Arrows.
Colani's ambition was to create a completely new automotive icon in retro and bio design - one that would honour both legends while surpassing his own 1991 Colani Ferrari Testa d'Oro world speed record of 351 km/h for street-legal vehicles, driven by dragster pilot Mike Strasburg, with a projected top speed of more than 500 km/h.
He envisioned the technical genius Franco Sbarro as the architect of the foundation - an ultra-lightweight high performance chassis designed for pure velocity. Upon this technical canvas, Colani would have unleashed his signature biodesign principles.
To strengthen this vision, six retro-design sketches were meticulously printed onto physical shares. The total edition is strictly defined by history: six series of 250 individual motifs, plus one final of 500 combining all six masterpieces on a single sheet.
Printed in royal blue on premium artist paper, these historic shares are collector's items in their own right. They were intended to champion the creation of the six custom-built hypercars, designed to mirror the original sketches with a projected price of around $7.5 Million each.
Although the 2008 financial crisis abruptly halted the journey, their story is far from over.
Today, these fine art non-valeurs are being transformed into a new era of value by bringing them to the blockchain, securing these historic automotive designs as timeless digital assets.
As an initial measure to advance the enterprise, the 7 "Silver Arrow" Pioneer Edition shall be issued as a promotional catalyst, bridging the heritage of Pierce-Arrow with Colani's artistic studies to establish early momentum.
Olaf vom Heu
Silver Arrow (CAD)
Designed for more than 500 km/h (approximately 310 mph) topspeed
Playboy, August 2008
In his legendary Playboy Magazine interview celebrating his 80th birthday, Colani stands casually within the monumental air scoop of the Pierce-Arrow fiberglass prototype body.
Man and machine become one in a single, provocative statement.
There is a Playboy-esque sensuality that only nature (and Colani) could shape.
Playboy: You are currently working on a new version of the Pierce-Arrow -- that legendary American automobile from the 1930...
Colani: Yes, I bought the rights to that name. That is going to be a global sensation! A hyper-automobile!
Playboy: What, pray tell, is a hyper-automobile!
Colani: Well, more than a supercar! I want to put an end to this automotive madness with an outright absurd car. We're putting in two of the absolute sharpest twelve-cylinder engines, a viscous coupling, and then a giant American transmission on the rear axle. And we are building a chassis for over 500 kilometers per hour.
Playboy: Aren't you exaggerating a bit?
Colani: Yes, because Colani wants to put a jester's cap on the automobile. That will be the "car that ends all motorcars in the world"! Ever fatter, ever faster, ever bigger engines; I am sick of this idiot race."
This car knows no edges.
It is a monumental statement that commands the entire space.
Honoring the Icon
Redefining Mary Garden's legacy:
Colani's Diana is a precise and graceful huntress who elevates automotive heritage to an art form.
The Archer Code
Once pursued as a silver-plated gold phantom among original Art Deco Pierce-Arrow mascots, Colani's imagination leaves the old casting mold behind,
distilling the myth into an immutable digital blue-chip.
