Dan Erceg is a vintage car collector and enthusiast associated with the Bay Area Horseless Carriage Club (BAHCC). Alongside Cindy Erceg, he owns and tours a 1916 Pierce-Arrow antique automobile. [1]

The connection between Pierce-Arrow and Pebble Beach is historically significant in the collector car world. A 1931 Pierce-Arrow owned and restored by legendary racing driver Phil Hill made history by becoming the very first classic car to win the prestigious Best of Show award at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 1955. [1, 2]

Quick Facts

• The Person: Dan Erceg is an active member of regional brass-era and pre-war car clubs like the Bay Area Horseless Carriage Club.
• The Car: He explicitly tours a 1915 Pierce-Arrow.
• The Legacy: Pierce-Arrow is a legendary American luxury automaker (1901–1938). Models from this brand are frequent, award-winning entrants at the elite Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance event held in California. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Dan Erceg is an expert automotive restorer, mechanic, and docent known for maintaining some of Northern California’s finest pre-war classic cars. [1, 2]

He plays a crucial role as the primary mechanic and collections manager for the private Bertolotti Collection in Santa Clara, California. The collection, housed at Bearcat Properties, belongs to prominent California businessman and Pierce-Arrow Society member John Bertolotti. [1]

The Bertolotti Collection Management

• Scale of Operation: Erceg maintains an elite private repository of roughly 50 vintage automobiles. This includes massive sub-collections of 10 Pierce-Arrows, 6 Stutzs, Packards, and early Ford Model T speedsters. [1]
• Docent & Educational Role: Beyond mechanical upkeep, Erceg serves as the expert docent for the collection. He frequently leads private tours for historical preservation organizations like the Lincoln Highway Association.
• Notable Vehicles Managed: He manages prized historical artifacts, including Henry Joy’s famous 1914 Packard—the historic vehicle driven cross-country in 1915 to prove a Packard could successfully cross the Lincoln Highway.

Restorer Background & Preservation Work

• Expertise: Erceg is recognized in the brass-era community as an elite mechanical authority on highly temperamental, early 20th-century drivetrains. [1]
• History San José: Local historical institutions, such as History San José, trust him with their rarest assets. He is noted as the only person trusted to mechanically start and maintain their rare, original, throttle-less bicycle-component prototype automobile. [1]
• Community Leadership: He is a fixture at West Coast vintage events, often coordinating regional events like flag-starting the Santa Clara Valley Model T Ford Club’s Annual Endurance Run. [1]