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Peerless Research Findings


jeff_a

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329. I was reading a piece in Old Cars Weekly about the famous A. K. Miller estate auction, which had 30 Stutzs plus some other antique cars (R-R, Locomobile, Franklin). Christie's auction, 1996. Apparently Miller had a Peerless at one time, too.

330. January, 2015 will mark 150 years since the Peerless Company was founded.

331. I found a price for one of the Peerless Custom Eights with Weymann coachbuilt bodies. A 1932 was advertised for $3,435. There must have been a sales brochure for these, and would love to find one someday.

332. I saw an ad recently for H.O. Harrison's Peerless Dealership in California about 1924. They were promoting the synthetic leather-over-wood bodies available on the Peerless Model 66 chassis' from the Meritas Fabric Body Corp.

333. Post above makes the 39th coachbuilder I've found associated with Peerless. Please see "Peerless Coachbuilders" thread.

334. I found 1917 Peerless sales figures: "$18,992,451, exclusive of munitions sales". This led to net profits of $1,065,869 and dividends of 10.6% per share for the year. Source: Automobile Journal. This is a big lead: the only sales or profit figures I've seen except 1946 [$2,000,000 of profit, but more Carlings than cars by then].

335. Peerless sales: 1918...$11,890,079 1919....$12,928,601 1920....$14,919,065 1921....$12,055,904. Source: Moody's Manual of Railroad and Corporate Securities, VOL 2.

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336. Headline from Commercial Car Journal, April 15th, 1919: "Peerless Discontinues Trucks".

337. A beautiful green Peerless showed up on the 2014 Red Rocks Reliability Tour in Kentucky. 2 photos on the wheelsthroughtime.com site(6/15/14). It's a 1913 Model 48-Six with a 578 cubic inch engine(a car driven great distances by it's Florida owner, I've heard).

338. In the "Peerless For Sale Dept." thread -- there's notice about a rather spectacular 1910s Peerless that will be up for auction in March. I expect quite a bit of interest in the car...a 6-cylinder high-displacement raceabout. If you go to Florida and bid, please tell us new owner, location, etc.

339. Autofocus had a story last year about cars w/ really big engines. 1 of 7 featured was a Peerless. They almost got it right. They said the model w/ the 825 c.i.d. motor was the 6-60[wrong], produced from 1912-14. The photo used was of a 1928 Model 6-60 rather than a 1914 Mod. 60-Six.

340. The illustration they should have used was one of the 1914 60-Six in the Crawford Museum in Cleveland. The name of the story was: "Enormous Engines: the world's biggest motors" in www.autofocus.ca , 4/28/14, by Shane Elliott. The 60-Six was also called a "37-L".

341. In the article above, the photo used was a nicely-restored blue 1928 Peerless someone in Finland owns.

342. I read a report today from someone who was at the 1902 NY Auto Show & talked about what cars were there. He said he was doing it "for future historians of the automobile". The "Peerless Manufacturing Co." had 1, 2, & 3-cyl. engines on display. The vertical twins were 12 and 16 HP.

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Hi. Great idea posting all this information. I am a Jordan guy whose searches have overlapped through the years with Peerless. Living in Cleveland, Ohio, both of these fine vehicle makes were produced here and it seems every few years something pops up. I haven't had a chance to read all of your pages, but I wanted to throw this out there. There is a 2-toned green Peerless Boat Tail Speedster buried in a garage here in Cleveland, Ohio. I am not sure if anyone knows about it or not. I don't think the owner wants to be bothered. I don't think it's been on the road in a very long time. Obviously, the Crawford Auto Aviation Museum is a huge resource for information. Hooked to the Auto Museum is the Western Reserve Auto Museum Library. We've been digging through the Jordan material there for years. Never had the time to look for Peerless information. It is a great Museum/Library to spend an afternoon in. If anyone's Peerless travels have overlapped with Jordan Motor Car Corporation, please let us know. Thanks!

jwilli43,

Thanks again for mentioning that Green, Two-Tone Peerless Boat Tail Speedster you discovered in Cleveland [Note: post #118, August, 2014]. You really ought to consider bringing it to the Peerless Meet in Cleveland that will be part of the Cleveland All Stars event (June 12th-14th, 2015). You might have to buy it to do that. Even if the owner just trailered it over to the show for a day, it would cause a lot of excitement.

As It looks. A Garage Find.

I've spent the last 8 years looking for Peerless cars and trucks and had NEVER heard of this car, which is why it's so interesting to me. That and the fact it's one of only about half a dozen known Peerless boattail roadsters. It might be nice to know if it's a 1926, 1927 or 1928; a Model 6-60, 6-80, 6-90, 6-72, or 8-69; and what coachbuilder.

Did you see the post on the General Discussion Forum ["Unknown coupe of 2015", started about 1/8/15 by Darren Kemarly] that someone may have found one of the last Jordans, a 1932 Model 80? Awful shape ---- Condition 6-, but still interesting history.

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..............................PEERLESS RESEARCH FINDINGS, continued..............................................

343. A car-for-sale notice recently came in to the PMCC on the www.peerlessmotorcarclub.com website for another 1929 Peerless "Victoria Coupe" (Opera Coupe, Doctor's Coupe to some). The car turns out to be in Argentina.....making for TWO 1929 Peerlesses in Argentina.

344. On the first page of the site highlighted above in PRF #343 is a good slide show showing 10 Peerlesses: a 1903 2-cyl., 1904 and 1909 4-cyl., a 1912 6-cyl., a 1917 8-cyl., a 1927 6-cyl., a 1929 6 and 8, a 1930 8-cyl. and one of the 1932 16-cyl. cars.

345. A photo is FS on ebay of Jerry Leigh posing in front of a 1910 Peerless in the lobby of the Carling Brewing Company facility, Cleveland where I believe this car was on display in the 50s or 60s. He was the last Peerless employee still working at Carling.

346. Jerry had his photo taken by the Cleveland Plain Dealer on the occasion of his retirement, date unknown. He started at Peerless in 1919. The 1910 Mod. 27 Roadster is now at the outstanding Heritage Museums & Gardens antique car collection in Sandwich, MA.

347. The Brewster-bodied 1910 Peerless mentioned in PRF 346 is part of the Heritage Museums & Gardens collection, including Auburn, Cadillac, Cord, Duesenberg, Ford, Franklin, LaSalle, Lincoln, Packard, Pierce-Arrow, Pope-Hartford, Reo, R-R, Stanley, and White automobiles, according to a 2011 article.post-49853-143142991132_thumb.jpg

348. Someone in California needs to repair or replace the ring & pinion gears on a 1927 Peerless Model Six-72 Roadster. Anyone have some parts?

349. The illustrious Mod. 6-70 sole-survivor car has changed hands again, new owner plans to restore it. This is the oft-written-about car on these forums which sat outside in Montana for 70 years: the Pullman body, low-serial number, 1924 5-Pass. Touring Phaeton, only known 6-70 in existence.

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350. The new owner of the 1924 Peerless Six-70, mentioned in PRF 349, is a Mr. Thomas from Texas. Doors not missing - just not in photo from several years ago. The 6-70 5-Passenger Touring Phaeton list price was $405 less than the V-8 1 version in 1924($2,285 vs $2,690), but had equal or more HP.

1924 in '10.JPG

 

351. 6-70 above has a Cadillac-engineered aluminum six 2, built by Peerless 6 years. The lightest of the 7 body styles, it would have the best performance. Certainly lighter than the 6-70 Limousine! Peerless was entering the same market as the Packard Single Six 3 and Pierce-Arrow Series 80 4 "owner-driven" luxury cars with this new model and engine.

 

352. I read something about Peerless in Automobile Journal Magazine from 1902, and an ad said J.P. Schneider was their dealer in Detroit at 604-606 Michigan Ave. There was also an article on the 2-cylinder cars the company had in their 3rd New York Auto Show.

 

353. In the same journal as above, but in 1921(VOL 69, Pg 9), a 1902 Peerless showed up at the NY Show with 250,000 miles on it. The writer called it a "veteran car" and commented that with floating rear axle, shaft drive & tilt steering wheel it compared well with 1921 cars, and that it still drove nicely at 35 mph.

 

354. www.TheOldMotor.com online publication recently had a piece about the 1904 Green Dragon race car with a couple of photos.

 

355. A 1910 Peerless Touring Car will be coming up FS at the APR 2015 Mecum Houston Auction. It turns out the car belonged to Tom Goodlett of Alvarado, TX, a notable Peerless collector going back many years.

 

356. Ford just announced a new engine for their Shelby Mustang -- a flat-plane V-8. Peerless was known for the flat-plane crankshaft in their V-8 for many years[1916-1924]. Flat-plane crankshaft V-8s have faster acceleration than cross-plane crankshafts due to less mass, according to wikipedia.

 

1 Model 66....aluminum crankcase, transmission housing and oil pan/332 Cu. In./128" w.b.

2 Model 6-70....aluminum crankcase and transmission housing/289 Cu. In./126" and 133" w.b.

3 268 Cu. In./126" w.b., later increased to 289 Cu. In.

4 289 Cu. In./130" w.b.

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357. I just read today about a 1929 Peerless going into a restoration shop last November called The Creative Workshop - Concours Restorations in Dania Beach, FL. It is a Model 8-125, equipped with a Continental 12K engine. To debut at the 2/19-21/16 BOCA RATON Concours d'Elegance in Florida.

358. (see above)Fascinating machine, Full Classic & former movie car. How many of you out there have seen an 8-125?

359. Great News! Just heard from Bob DeBone out in Kailua, Hawaii. After 5 years of work he has finished the restoration of his 1932 Peerless Master Eight Sedan. As it says in The Standard Catalog of the 30s Peerlesses, the handsome new Peerless was the sleekest the company ever produced.

360. Coming soon, a photo of Bob's 1932 PEERLESS. Engine rebuilt by master engine rebuilder Joel Stallard. Sorry this took so long to post, Bob......I had some technical difficulties!
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361. There are 2 Peerlesses coming up for sale at an auction in Boone, Iowa 9/26/15: a 1918 Limousine and a 1920 4-Pass. Roadster(similar to a Cloverleaf). Old Cars Weekly sent a blurb about it. Vanderbrink Auction Company. The last time I checked, there was no list of cars to be auctioned.

362. I didn't know till recently Peerless made a factory streamlined Speedster available to the public in 1917, the Two-Passenger Sporting Roadster. It was a stripped-down car -- with the V-8, dual exhausts & 4-barrel all the other models had, and sold for $2,250. I just ordered a Factory Brochure from autolit.com.

363. The car in PRF #362 looked track-ready: No doors, No windscreen, No top, Rudge-Whitworth wire wheels(spare stored in "tool box" to reduce wind drag), and Speedster fenders. With that 80-HP 332, it would have moved down the road!

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364. A race-prepped version of the model in PRF #362 won the 112-mile Dealers' Race at Uniontown Speedway 5/10/17, averaging 82.74 mph. The car was the Atwater-Kent Ignition Peerless 8 Special.

365. Was just reading about the De Dion-Bouton Motorette Co. of Brooklyn, the 1st company to build a licensed foreign car in the U.S. In 1900-1901, they built a 2-Pass. "Brooklyn Motorette", a 3-P "NY Motorette" & a 2-P "Doctor's Coupe". 1 of their employees was Louis Chevrolet.

366. The bicycle makers George N. Pierce Co.(1901) and Peerless Manufacturing Co.(1900) began producing similar cars under license to De Dion Bouton soon after the De Dion Motorette Co. in Brooklyn did, a way for these 2 companies to become important automakers, using the world's most-produced automobile engine of the time.

 

367.  A 1927 Peerless is currently FS on the HCCA link("Classified"/"Cars For Sale" section) on the Horseless Carriages Forum (5/20/15). Location: Wisconsin.

 

368.  Somehow this little "Peerless Research Findings" thread has reached the 20,000 Views level as of this week!

 

369.  David Baird's 1909 Peerless will be up for sale at the July 17/18 Auction America event in Santa Monica, CA. Pre-auction estimates for his 7-P Roi des Belges Model 19 are $200,000-250,000, as they should be.

 

370.  I just heard from Peerless Motor Car Club member Dennis Mears today. He lives in Kansas, owns a '29 Peerless 6-61 Sedan, and the coachbuilder is Peerless Body. That's odd, because I found a Peerless Company ad saying this new model for 1929 would have Murray-built bodies. Maybe it depended on body style.

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371.  I was reading a January, 1923 story in Arts & Decoration about some of the new car designs. Along with a photo, it stated: "An extreme type of sport car, the Peerless Sporting Roadster, designed by Le Baron and Demarest." Other marques mentioned were Lancaster, Locomobile, Rolls-Royce and the Packard Single Six.

 

372.  The Peerless parts supply company took over the former Lincoln Motor Car Co. building in the 1930s. Not only were parts available for many of the 1916-1932 models, but service, repair and complete rebuilds of Peerless cars.

 

373.  Errors in the Standard Catalog of American Cars, 3rd Edition, 1996 re: the Peerless Model 6-70:

  • It was primarily a 1924 model, though not listed under 1924 except for the comment "The new six series 6-70 debuted mid-model year."
  • Listed more or less correctly for 1925, except that it was replaced by the re-designed 6-72 at the end of March.
  • Listed erroneously as a kind of 126" wheelbase version of the 6-72 for the 1926 listing. The 3 models for 1926 were: 6-80, 6-72, and 8-69.

 

374.  The Peerless 6-70 was introduced in January, 1924 and production spanned March, 1924 to March, 1925, when the mechanically similar but re-designed 6-72 replaced it. The April-1925-on 6-72 Peerlesses had a creased upper hood, the new 1925-28 rad shell design, and boattail rear decks on the Roadsters and Roadster Coupes.

 

375.  When first introduced, only the 2-Passenger Roadster, 5-Passenger Sedan, and 5-Passenger Touring Phaeton were available; 7 body styles available a few months later. In a January 10th, 1925 Peerless ad I have, there are seven 6-70 body styles and seven 8-67 body styles illustrated, when the 6-70s were in their 11th month of production out of 13.

 

376.  The lone surviving 6-70, with a Pullman Body, suggests that a few prototypes were Pullman-bodied. The Pullman company archives state that some Pullman bodies for Peerless cars were in storage in 1924(unknown number). Maybe these were enough to display the new Peerless Six at car shows and major dealerships prior to full production. Pullman was known for small prototype runs and special show cars.  <NOTE: 2nd 6-70 discovered in 2017>....a 3rd in 2018>

 

377. It's possible Pullman built prototype bodies before full production by Raulang, Peerless Body, Springfield, Silver, Murray, Meritas, Budd, Demarest, etc. These eight were building Peerless bodies in the mid-to-late Twenties (see Peerless Coachbuilders thread). We won't know, unless somebody finds the missing Peerless Company archives or another 6-70.

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378.  Fellow Peerless Motor Car Club member Matt Lynch wanted to know what Peerlesses are in the New York area, so I looked it up on KPAIE. The list I sent him today had 1 in PA, 2 in RI, and 17 in NY. No idea there were that many....thought there were 5. Matt doesn't go online much, so doesn't use KPAIE as a club benefit.

 

379.  Found new material on the 1903 Gordon Bennett Race the Green Dragon competed at in Ireland. No mention of tire trouble, but a Scientific American article says: "At the Athy control, Mr. Mooers lost a pin out of his change-speed gear and had to abandon the race."

 

380.  In above article(July 25th 1903, pg 62) there's a photo: "Mr. Mooers at Athy After the Accident to his Peerless Car." The race car has a big number 7 on the right side.

 

381.  In a fascinating piece about Alexis de Sakhnoffsky in coachbuilt.com it says: "All 3 automobiles(1930/31 Marmon-Roosevelt 69, 79 and Big Eight), and Peerless(Standard Eight, Master Eight and Custom Eight) shared the same fenders, body dies and assembly features..."

 

382.  Count de Sakhnoffsky also designed the "Curvex" style of Swiss Gruen watch(my Grandfather gave me one a few years ago). He had quite a reputation for designing things in Streamline Style. There was even a collaboration with Preston Tucker in 1952 to design a Second Tucker, the "Carioca".

 

383.  PEERLESS FAQs   :) :

  • Q: What year is my car? A: 1929*
  • Q: How much is one worth? A: I don't know 
  • Q: How much is one worth? A: Somewhere between factory price & $469,000
  • Q: What about supplies of new parts? A: In 1931, The Peerless Motor Service Co. was set up to supply all of the company's spare parts and even repairs and rebuilding. They were in the former Lincoln factory in Detroit. When they opened they stated they'd supply parts "as long as there was one Peerless on the road", but they lied. Maybe not their intention...but they seem to have run out of parts or gone out of business at some point.
  • Q: How may were built? A: About 107,000
  • Q: How many Peerless cars, trucks & armored cars still exist? KPAIE says 351 
  • Q: Were they really America's most expensive car? A: I've only heard them described that way for 1903, 1904, 1909 and 1913, so the answer is, generally, no. 
  • Q: Do you have to be a billionaire to own a Peerless? A: No. I only know of 7 who have.
  • Q: Is the plural of Peerless Peerless', Peerli, or Peerlesses? A: The Peerless Motor Car Company used "Peerlesses".
  • Q: What's the most ever spent on one? A: The ex-Doris Duke 1910 Victoria Landau sold at the Sam Scher auction for $469,000. Another Peerless went for $440,000 in 2015.
  • Q: Is there a "most valuable" Peerless? A: I once read a discussion of the V-16 Prototype where someone guessed it would be worth 2.25 million if it were ever for sale, but that's just hearsay. In my candid opinion, a lot of guys would like to have it.
  • Q: Most bogus thing about Peerless in an auction catalog? A: A statement re: an April,  2015 Houston auction that Peerless cars were built by a company "that previously built sewing machines".

* Statistically, there's a good chance

 

 

384.  A Peerless that's been FS for awhile in Tyler, TX is advertised now on: www.antiquecar.com . It's a 1928 Sedan. Price: $24,500/offer. The sellers telephone: #(903)520-7356. One of the photos shows a 1st Place Hershey Meet badge from 1986.

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385.  I ran across this in Ross Roy Used Car Sales Service:

 

Continuation of 1929 Series 8-125

1930 8-125 body styles: Roadster....Coupe....Victoria....Sedan 5....Sedan 7....Limousine 7

new price at factory: .......$2195.........$2195.....$2195.....$2195.......$2295........$2495

weight in pounds: ..............4025..........4095.......4120.......4235.........4455..........4465

 

386.  My interpretation of this is that there were a few 8-125s that made it into 1930, possibly due to leftovers/late deliveries/late registrations after the cut-off for the 1929-model-year Peerlesses, 9/1/29. The 8-125 is not to be confused with the 1930-32 Standard, Master, and Custom Peerless Eights. It was the first straight eight Peerless, and preceded them.

 

387.  You may notice the heavy overall weights of the cars. If you've ever seen the green 8-125 John and Sherry Knight have up in Canada, you'll realize these are 130"- and 138"-wheelbase CCCA Classics and quite imposing. When the Knight's car was for sale in Hemmings about 10 years ago, someone wrote to the editor that it was the first picture of a Peerless he'd ever seen, and it was "a real Road Locomotive".

 

388. The 1929 Eight-125 is a great car, but no one really sees them much, with about 6 in existence. One with a Florida owner is currently getting a full-on restoration at The Creative Workshop in Dania Beach, Florida and will debut at the 2016 Boca Raton Concours d'Elegance...FEB 19-21.

 

389.  Reading the Summer, 2013 PEERLESS COOPERATOR, it says the Peerless painting process took 28 days for each car. This was in the Twenties.

 

390.  In the same issue, there was a statement in The Hollywood Daily Citizen, 6/25/24, that the Peerless Town Brougham was accounting for 49% of sales in 1923(about 2,600 cars if sales for that body style sold at this percentage all year). This car was in the $3,900-4,100 range. 

 

391.  I found a magazine ad for a Triangle bicycle, built by the Peerless Mfg. Co, Cleveland, O. in 1895. Never heard of that one before!

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post-93154-0-44517000-1448396840_thumb.j

392.  1927 Peerless Model 6-80 Landaulet at Herstmonceux Castle, East Sussex.

A very elegant 6-80 and one of the more well-known Peerlesses. Appeared in many episodes of the BBC series "Jeeves & Wooster". Last 2 owners were legendary collectors Stan Reynolds and Bill Harrah. Photo by Ron Wanmer of the U.K.

 

393.  The beautiful photo in the PRF above was sent to me by Ron Wanmer. I had mailed him an inquiry about his PEERLESS 6-80 back in 2009. He misplaced the letter and did not find it until Nov. 23rd, when he sent the photo & updated me on his car. Though he is at a loss to set a figure yet, he is considering selling the car due to somewhat advanced age.

 

394.  I appreciate getting replies to these letters I send out asking for data on the 350-or-so Peerlesses out there. In the last 2 weeks I've heard from folks with Mod. 48-Six, 66 (both 4- & 7-Pass. Touring Phaetons), 6-70, 6-81, 8-125, and Master 8 Peerlesses. It makes the Known Peerless Automobiles In Existence spreadsheet a lot more accurate.

 

395.  Text of an Early Peerless Ad, complete with a Peerless Girl: "PEERLESS DIRECT DRIVE TOURING CARS -- Always one in new improvements: 1st to apply the sliding gear transmission. 1st to use vertical motor mounted in front. 1st to use bevel gear drives on rear axle. And now 1st to adopt the side door tonneau."

 

396.  FYI, the Peerless owners manuals that appear FS on eBay that say "Instructions For Owners of the New Type 23" on the cover are for the 1923/1924-only Model 66 Peerless V-8. 

 

397.  The new Hemmings arrived today (1/7/16), and in it is a beautiful Peerless for sale, the same one illustrated in an obscure Peerless site called "Peerless - the Greatest Car You've Never Heard Of"(created in 2000. Location: www.s515.com/peerless.html  .) It's a yellow 1928 Boat Tail Coupe for sale in Joplin, MO.

 

398.  Heard a couple of Peerlesses in a private collection in Illinois have come to light....including a 1906. The other may be a 1904! Both would be immensely unheard-of to the people in Peerless circles if they turn out to exist! There ARE some brass-era Peerlesses we've lost track of (8 times rarer than Mod. "J" Duesies BTW).

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399.  I just heard that there will be a 1927 PEERLESS 6-90(Peerless 289 I-6) in the Hemmings Motor News Great Race from San Rafael, CA to Moline, IL June 18-26, 2016. Crew will be owner Ron Martin and restorer/mechanic Brando Pistorius on this 2,000-mile time/distance rally. They may be sharing the road with a 1917 Peerless(Peerless 332 V-8) Hagerty Insurance owns that has run the Great Race many times.

 

400.  One's a rather luxurious sedan & one's a streamlined speedster. I know which one I'd rather be in if it was raining!

 

401.  "Wholly owned subsidiary of the Peerless Corporation" seen on an ad for sale on e-Bay today promoting Carling Canadian Red Cap Ale in 1934.

 

402.  In case you missed it on the "Peerless CCCA List" thread, the Classic Car Club of America has added another line to their list of Peerless models that are approved classics:  "All 1915-1924"

 

403.  For those going to the Peerless Meet in Odessa, Florida April 1-3 and wanting to make a really good impression......stop off somewhere and pick up a case of Carling Black Label beer. It's still brewed in Trenton, OH and in Eden, NC by SABMiller Breweries under contract to Pabst. Though a complex "provenance", Black Label goes back to 1934 and The Peerless Factory in Cleveland[& 1840 in Ontario].

 

404.  Maybe someone in the liquor control business can tell me why it is completely and totally impossible to buy Carling Black Label beer in Idaho.

 

405.  Just a reminder, the Peerless For Sale Department thread [currently on 3rd page of results for that thread] is where there is a listing of Peerlesses I think are for sale. Just updated it today - 23 cars and no trucks.

 

 

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406.  Peerless Motor Club member Les Holden not only has a 1909 Peerless Model "19", but a 1905 Buick Model "C". Not quite as rare as the Peerless, but pretty close. My wife and I hosted a car show when we lived in Manhattan, and someone used to bring a very nice "ought eight" Buick Model "F" that was mechanically very similar: two-cylinder, chain drive, 22 h.p....always the oldest car at the show. 

 

407.  Heard from Pasi Pihlajamaki in Finland recently. He has a '29 Peerless Mod. 6-81 Coupe or "Cabriolet", and says there are 6 Peerlesses there, and his came from Texas in 1989. He is starting to restore it and needs a lot...such as car and engine serial number plates, front seat, front and rear floors(wood), & instrument panel.

 

408.  Regarding 1929 and 1930 6-61 and 6-81 Peerlesses. They are 1929 models, but I believe the ones built on Sept. 1st or later were considered 1930s; series 1 [built before September] vs. series 2 [built September or later] cars. Looking at the Peerless Forum post "How to identify your Peerless" by Philippe Mordant, I see there are more than I thought: 4,007 6-61 and 750 6-81 1930 continuation models.

 

409.  There are, at most, only 8 billionaires who have ever owned Peerlesses. 

 

410.  Someone in Mountain View, MO has an original Peerless Girl No. 2 piece of artwork for sale right now on ebay. Media: chalk. Price: $69.00.

 

411.  Autolit.com has an extremely rare piece of literature for sale. It's a sales brochure so old it doesn't say "Peerless Motor Car Co.", but "Peerless Manufacturing Co." It's for the Type 4 and 5, Model E, F, and G Peerless of 1902, the radical 1902 2 cyl., 8 and 12 h.p. cars. $$$. Walter says it's the company's 1st sales brochure.

 

412.  Mr. Mark Desch of Stillwater, MN is now President of the PMCC, and Richard Lichtfeld is changing to the role of Vice President and Historian.

 

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413.  One of the few known remaining 1929 Peerless Eight-125s was shown at The 38th Annual Concours d'Elegance of America at St. John's in late July this year. This event carries on the tradition of the Meadow Brook Concours, and is held in Plymouth, Michigan. Owner: Daniel Johnson of Florida. Photo courtesy of The Creative Workshop, the shop which restored this straight-8 Twenties Classic.

 

   The 1929 Eight-125 succeeded the 1928 Eight-69 as the most prestigious and expensive model in the line-up. Available in these body styles, from $2,195 to $2,495:

  • 2-Pass. Coupe w/ 2-Pass. rumble seat
  • 4-Pass. Victoria
  • 5-Pass. Sedan
  • 7-Pass. Sedan
  • 7-Pass. Limousine

 

 

IMG_3715.JPG

IMG_3694.JPG

 

414.  I'm having a little trouble imagining this big car in Coupe form, though the one illustrated is on a 138" w.b. chassis and the Coupes are only on a 130" chassis. Wouldn't mind having one, though!! The power-to-weight ratio would be rather good.

 

415.  I don't know if this will transfer, but it relates to the Peerless 8-125 above. I wasn't able to add a link, but somehow got this youtube video from the Discovery Channel added. It's 2 minutes long. The restoration shop owner sent me this, covering condition-when-arrived, restoration process, and photos of the big engine.

 

 

 

download.html

 

416.  Looking at a VMCCA article from about 1975, I saw a photo of a 1932 Peerless Sedan owned by William N. Owen on a VMCCA tour in LA, MS or thereabouts. This Master or Custom 8 appeared to be white with D/S/M, wood wheels, black fenders, with a black trunk. Ralph Cartonio sometimes spoke of a '32 Peerless down in GA, a gray Custom 8, that he may have brought to ME. Maybe this is it.

 

417.  I looked at photos of other cars appearing at the 2016 Concours d'Elegance of America at St. John's, and see that the late David Baird's 1917 Pierce-Arrow 48-B 4-Pass. Touring Car was there.

 

418.  2016 marks 100 years since Peerless went all V-8 with the introduction of the Model 56. Packard went all-V-12 that year and Cadillac all-V-8 the year before.

 

419.  Someone asked me how many 1930 through 1932 Peerless Custom Eights still exist. KPAIE and all the files I have show that about 1% of the serial numbers attributed to the model, 555 automobiles, are still with us, between 7 and 11. Anybody else have an opinion or information?

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  • 2 weeks later...
Guest Peer29less

Hi, Jeff

Thanks for posting the Peerless photos from St. Johns.  The b.i.c. at Boca was surely a surprise, but the Lions at St. Johns was like a bolt out of the blue.  There were so many World Class cars there; a Waterhouse Victoria, so beautiful it brought a tear to the eye, so many other magnificent automobiles.

Per your questions, the last Peerless-built 8 was the V configuration, withdrawn sometime during the 1928 model year.   The 1929 models were the last to be numbered, changing to named for the last two years (re: 408).  

Per the gentleman's (414) wonderment about the roadster, I've seen one in SW Wisconsin.  Yes, it was a 125, and yes I measured. 138".  I grew up not too far away, and as a kid in high school, any Peerless(s) anywhere nearby would always warrant a visit.  As best I can remember it was in the New Glarus area, sort of a dull red in color.  

Another excursion:  Went over to a farm south of the DeKalb area to see the Stelford collection before Rod S. moved it.  There was a lovely yellow boat-tail (restored), a number of mid-range sedans, and in this sort of chicken-coup / lean-to shed, two de Sakhnoffsky 

Customs!  Both in very unfortunate condition, one's interior a little less jammed with parts than the other, but not enough to even see if there were jumpseats.  I think I have photos somewhere?  

Per the video, it took a lot longer to make than what you see.  It took hours, but it was fun.  

So, thanks again for posting the photos of the Peerless.  It took me a while to find my way back to this page: I'm not the most compu-literate guy.  Besides, I'd rather drive an old car than try to 'drive' a computer.

Best,

Dan

 

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  • 2 months later...

420.  Seen on ebay yesterday -- someone grabbed some things from the ruins of the Peerless factory in Cleveland and has a big pulley taken from the foundry area for sale. Under "RARE Antique Thompson Industrial Light Pulley", FS by vendor "googiestyle273" for $95 for a week or more.

 

421.  There are some light fixtures related to the pulley & a Carling Brewery light fixture.

 

422.  Two new Peerless cars listed in the Known Peerless Automobiles In Existence list: a 1927 Mod. Eight-69 7-Pass. Sedan and a 1929 Mod. Eight-125 Sedan.

 

423.  The 1927 V-Type Eight Sedan was collected by M. Adrien Cote' and was part of his Musee' Saint-Laurent, Trois Pistoles, near Montreal. Museum founded in 1983 & their site lists 16 cars. A Nov, 2016 "'New' Peerless Discovered!" thread, Post #108, lists 13 others FS on ebay.

 

424.  I got a call yesterday from Jim McBurney in Niagara Falls, Ontario, who has a 6-61 Peerless woody station wagon. The wood framing's complete and the body's painted. He's using cured white oak milled from one tree.

 

425. Jim started with a basket case 6-61 over 10  years ago. I talked to him back then(half-done car was $15K), but heard little recently. He had heart bypass surgery and is back at work. Just did the last 3 doors. Colors are tan body with red trim and varnished oak. For sale and much closer to done.

 

426. Nice picture of a 1929 Peerless 6-91 7-Passenger. Only two 6-91 7-P cars known. In the U.K., bought new as an embassy car in South America. RHD/engine 289 c.i.d./70 h.p./w.b.: 128". "Refurbished in the 80s". Currently listed on: www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C358215 , for "13,000 pounds - offers invited"(hopefully that is current information). Ad gives contact information for the owner, whom I believe lives in Essex.

 

 

Peerless Limosine For Sale (1929)

photo: Tony Higbee

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  • 3 months later...

 dyn007_original_640_427_jpeg_2615689_8bcb2796676592474e70f11a3f0f6ec6.jpg

 

427.  Excellent photo from 2008 Michel LeCerf took of Philippe Mordant's 1927 Peerless 6-72 5-Passenger Sedan. This is a good example of how the famous eagle radiator mascot is supposed to look... 

 

428.  2 Peerlesses are for sale in the April issue of HMN right now: a 1928 Model "8-69", and a 1930 Model "B" or "Master Eight".

 

429.  Nice photo of a 1929 Peerless 8-125, like John & Sherry's in Ontario and Dan's in Florida:

 

430.  51 Peerlesses have been for sale on the tally I keep on the "Peerless For Sale Department" thread, Post #69. All during the last 34 months.

 

431. A neat picture of the advertising the company was using in 1929: 

images (1).jpg

 

432.  There is a nice photo of a Peerless in the new OCT, 2017 Hemmings Classic Car Magazine issue, P. 47. Part of a 6-page photo spread about The Elegance at Hershey. The caption reads: ¨1929 Peerless, Dania Beach, Florida resident Dan Johnson displayed his handsome 8-125 sedan. It was featured in The Untouchables TV series.¨

 

433.  Dan Johnson´s 1929 Peerless Model Eight-125 7-Passenger Sedan appeared at The Elegance at Hershey this year.

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  • 7 months later...

434.  I saw an 1899 ad for Peerless Manufacturing Co. Bicycles, listing these models:

  • $35, Model No. 50 for Men and Women, Road wheels of exceptional merit
  • $50, Model No. 51 for Men and Women, The Standard ´99 Peerless Road Wheel
  • $65, Model No. 52 Bluebird Racer, Renowned winner of many races, 20  lbs.
  • $75, Diamond Tandem, Single or double steering
  • $85, Combination Tandem, Easy mounting, easy steering

THE PEERLESS MFG. CO., Cleveland, Ohio.

Home Furnishings Review, VOL 15, 1899.gdoc

 

435.  Regarding the ad above, David Baird and I actually saw an 1890s Peerless bicycle for sale in 2013. A bicycle collector in Cleveland wanted $5,000 for it. He also had a Winton and a couple of Pierce bicycles for sale.

 

436.  An outstanding ´28 Peerless V-8 Roadster appeared at  a big auction in Maine in August, 2017, but may not have reached reserve . Photo here on the Peerless Forum under ¨Peerless For Sale Department¨ thread. The car is unique

 

437.  Dan Johnsons´s 1929 Peerless Model Eight-125, the high-water mark for Peerless luxury models that year, has been accepted at the 2018 Amelia Island Concours.

 

438.  In a 1902 copy of The Motor World(VOL 5, p. 108), I noticed they have a column called ¨Casualties of the Week¨. One account re: Killed/Injured says: Railroads 105/109; Trolleys 13/90; Bicycles 0/24; Horses 5/106; and Automobiles 0/2. The magazine even breaks down where all the accidents were.

 

439.  Amazing reference! I just found a Peerless ad stating: ¨The Peerless Company itself has been making cars since 1898.¨ Page 289 in The Motor World magazine, VOL 10, No. 1, March 30, 1905. The ad does not go into detail, but I read that the company was looking into an automobile product in the late 1890s as the bicycle boom began to wane, and that they were engaged in the manufacture of automobile parts by 1898.

 

The Motor World - Google Books.mhtml1898

 

440.  Reading about Mr. Alfred O. Dunk in Horseless Age  (Vol. 41/42, 12/15/17, p.48), it said his business was buying defunct automobile companies and selling the parts: 150 such companies by 1917. He was still doing this in 1930.

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  • 4 months later...

441.  Alfred O. Dunk, mentioned above, eventually had a part in the closing of 725 carmakers(appraising or purchasing) and did very well at it financially, according to ply33 here on the forums. He also owned Puritan Machine Company; and Detroit Electric, which built electric cars from 1907 to 1939, in the 1930s.

 

442.  Alexis de Sakhnoffsky Design :    ¨All 3 automobiles, the 1930-31 Marmon-Roosevelt 69, 79, and Big Eight......and Peerless Standard 8, Master 8, and Custom 8......shared the same fenders, basic body dies, and assembly features...¨    (cdnc.ucr.edu)

 

443.  In Scientific American July 25th, 1903, p. 62, the price of a 2-cylinder 1902 Peerless was listed...plus a photo of a 1903 Peerless at the Gordon-Bennet Race entitled: ¨Mr. Mooers at Athy After the Accident to his Peerless Car¨. ¨At the Athy control, Mr. Mooers lost a pin out of his change-speed gear and had to abandon the race.¨

 

444.  What´s Old Is New Department. According to a story in the CO-OPERATOR company newsletter from May, 1927, a Peerless 6-60 ¨Driverless Car Draws Attention¨.

 

445.  Going by the 1962 summation of surviving brass Peerlesses(21) in the 23-page1962 American Automobile magazine story by E. Stanley Cope, there were five 1911s. Just two known today.

 

446.  Usually Peerless called their Custom 8 model a 120 h.p. car, but I saw the text of a 1931 sales folder f/s today on paperheaven saying it was 125 h.p. THE NEW PEERLESS: ALL THAT THE NAME IMPLIES...¨Here is a car outstandingly fine...large...luxurious...fast. The engine --- 125 h.p.straight eight...free from vibration."

 

447. The National Used Car Market Report of Feb., 1933 tells us the premium Peerless for 1929, the 8-125, could be ordered as a 2-Passenger Roadster with rumble seat for $2,195....completely new information for me! Maybe a photo of one at an auto show will turn up someday.

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448.  I found some interesting data looking in Automotive Industries, VOL 50, No. 2, January 10, 1924. Not only did examples of the new Mod. Six-70 exist at this date, but they(and a Durant Eagle) "were given first priority" at the New York Auto Show being reported on as one of the few new chassis' that year. Peerless and 70 other American car-makers exhibited. There was a photo of a 2-P Roadster on page 99. A piece of the coverage: "PEERLESS SIX - Bearing the Peerless, instead of Collins, name, a six-cylinder model comprising 3 body types has been introduced by the Peerless Motor Car Company."     

 

 

 

Screenshot 2018-03-23 at 11.14.18 PM.png

Here is the 1924 Peerless Six-70 Roadster at the January 5th-12th, 1924 New York Auto Show

 

449.  "New Peerless six with five-passenger phaeton body" from page 60 of article.

Screenshot 2018-03-23 at 11.44.45 PM.png

Introductory prices of the Roadster, Phaeton, and Sedan were: $1,985, $1,985, and $2,675. These 3 body styles were expanded to 7 later in 1924. The factory was closed 3 weeks prior to this issue coming out so it could prepare for the new Peerless six, with new capacity in place 1/14/24 and production cars ready to ship 3/1/24. During the time the plant was closed, R.H. Collins resigned after 2 1/2 years as President. 

 

450.  Reading a  sales brochure for a 1928 Peerless 8-69 for sale on ebay, I thought this comment interesting:

"...even more reserves of power and speed have necessitated the use of a 100-mile speedometer."

 

451.  Regarding 100 mph speedometers, I'm pretty sure a '28 Stutz or Duesenberg could hit a hundred....but I have no idea what cars then had speedometers that would show it. 

 

452.  Peerless Custom Eight Diecast Model E-Bay Ad from "kathyslist" seller 11/1/13:  "1/18 1931 Peerless President Hoover CAMPAIGN CAR 1932 FDR Roosevelt. Up for auction is a STUNNINGLY BEAUTIFUL 1/18 scale 1931 vintage PEERLESS SEDAN that was used as a CAMPAIGN CAR by President Hoover when F.D.R. ran against him in 1932....We originally had scale figures for the car but we sold them separately by accident. ANSON PRESTIGE DIECAST"

 

453.  There are thousands of these scale models of this Peerless for sale out there, usually for $25-100 on ebay. They are made in at least 3 different scales. Anson made an issue of 10,000 that I know of. The claim of this being used by President Hoover for his campaign is unique. I have never read it or heard it anywhere else. I contacted the Hoover Presidential Library, and they have no record of Hoover owning a Peerless. The E-Bay seller is no longer active, and Anson is no longer in business.

 

454.  The scale models are based on the spectacular car owned by Ele Chesney. Prior owner: Bill Harrah.
I have looked at hundreds of these models on ebay and have never seen any mention of a Herbert Hoover connection. Maybe that's incorrect. One of the biographers of H.H. said that he preferred to travel by train because it was more efficient, and traveled infrequently for campaign purposes during 1932.  
 

 

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  • 6 months later...

455.  Here is one of the 1:18 models for sale on ebay, for $43.00:

 

s-l225.jpg

photo credit: ebay seller kentucky*2014 if you would like to buy it

 

456.  A beautiful 1927 Peerless 6-90 Roadster that turned up in Denver, CO recently at a car event. 

IMG_36091498356020.jpg

 from Pelican parts website

 

457. A 1929 Peerless 8-125 7-Passenger Sedan will be shown at the 2019  Boca Raton Concours d'Elegance (February 22nd-24th). This was the flagship model of the luxury car maker that year, with a 114 HP straight eight. 

 

458.  On April 26 & 27, there will be a Bonhams Auction dispersing the entire Tupelo Auto Museum collection in Mississippi. A 1914 Peerless Model 48-Six Limousine with Kimball coachwork will be sold.
image.thumb.png.da53765defd2e19b5c831e31c5846a97.pngphoto by Bonhams, established 1793

 

 

459.  On the coachbuilt.com site, the first 1,400 auto bodies built by Brewster & Co. are listed, including many Peerless cars. Some were commissioned for Mrs. E. Stotesbury{the Doris Duke car}, the Hon. Huntington Wilson{the 1911 Park Phaeton in the Henry Ford Museum}, and E.H. Litchfield{the Dr. Wm. Donze car}.

 

460.  Among the Brewsters is the 1909 Model 19 Peerless owned by David Baird of California, now owned by _ _ _ _ _. 

 

461.  Another is the 1910 Peerless Type 27 Roadster in the Heritage Museums & Gardens collection in Sandwich, MA.

 

 

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462.  I recently found a site with a couple of pictures of Louis Chevrolet and his new 1926 Peerless 6-80 Sedan. One of him in the driver's seat, one posing outside with his foot on the running board.

 

463.  Nice picture of a 35 foot launch powered by a Peerless T-head engine. Same boatyard that built the PT Boats during World War II. These were advertised in early 1909, and Peerless fours(38 HP [RAC rating]) and sixes(50 HP) were available in 30 & 35 foot lengths. "Not a racing machine, but a luxurious and comfortable pleasure boat...engine is made by the Peerless Motor Car Co. of Cleveland."  O.K. -- any of you motor cruiser guys have one? I looked around and could not find one which still exists.

Related image

 

464.  A motometer like this was on the Peerless 6-70 for sale in Saskatchewan last September. They claimed it was only available to Peerless dealers of a certain standing and a collector tried to by it for 1 or 2 thousand dollars before the sale. I have only heard of 3 of these: 1 on a 1924 6-70 Roadster at the NY Auto Show when the model was introduced in January, 1924 -- 1 on the Saskatchewan car -- and 1 in this icollector.com page from about 2017.

See the source image...............................photo credit icollector.com, described as a 1923 Peerless Motometer ornament, est. value $200-300

 

465.  The known Peerless cars still in existence with the Superb Six or Collins Six engines number 24. Three 6-70s, seven 6-72s, eight 6-90s, and six 6-91s out of about 14,000 built.

 

466.  The Continental 11-E engine, according to a forums post on Jordan or Moon, was used in the 1928-29 Jordan RE; the 1928 Moon 6-72/6-77; the 1930 Moon 6-75; and the Windsor 6-75(formerly Moon)..........as well as the 1929 Peerless 6-61/6-61A. HP: 66@ 3,150 rpm.

 

467.  There are 83 listings about Peerless on the index of Horseless Carriage Gazette magazine articles and or photos. In 1976, V 38-2, p 54, 55. there was a story about the 75th anniversary of the Packard, Peerless, and Pierce-Arrow firms.

 

468. There is a coachbuilder's tag for sale on ebay 10/13/19. It's from the Peerless in-house body works and is not the usual 1 5/8-long football-shaped oval saying "Peerless Body". It is more round/less oval, and mounts horizontally, instead of vertically, like all the others I've seen. "PEERLESS" is printed at the bottom of the eagle and in larger letters below, "BODY BY PEERLESS". Both have the eagle with shield motif. Seller: "jhstamps916"  s-l1600.jpg

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  • 1 month later...

Hi Guys, I am in the process of purchasing a 1929 6-81 sedan in great condition & running. Just needs a bit of detailing (minor).

I'm looking for info regarding the location of a vin/chassis number. I have the motor number 18C-2438 if that helps at all. I have almost no history on the car.

Any help/information etc would be greatfully accepted. Cheers, Mike

Located in Narrabri, New South Wales, Australia.

IMG_3424.jpg

IMG_3432.jpeg

IMG_3427.jpeg

IMG_3428.jpeg

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Mike,

   Thank you very much for dropping by the world hotbed of Peerless activity! Looks like a very nice Peerless. There are 6 times as many Pierce-Arrows...16 times as many Packards about: making it the rarest of The Three Ps of Motordom.

 

Car Serial# Plate

In 1929-1932.........on the body sill/r.s. of car/front compartment/under the carpet is where the Car Serial # plate may be.........OR 1923-1928/29 they were on the firewall/l.s. of car on a 3"x5" brass plate. 

 

Chassis Ser.#

Peerless says all cars have a chassis ser.# "stamped on the outside of the right frame member at the extreme rear end", though I don't keep track of them.

Since 2008, I have been keeping a roster of all Peerlesses worldwide called Known Peerless Automobiles In Existence. I don't have extensive data on all remaining cars, but do have 362 on this Google Docs spreadsheet. KPAIE has 20 categories of info, including Car Serial#, Engine Ser.#, Model & Location. In 2008 I was actually a Beta Tester of the software.

 

Thanks for the Motor Ser. #! I've already added it to the car's dossier on KPAIE.

  • Have you been able to find much data on this make of cars yet? The range of Motor Ser.#s for the 1929 6-81 is: 18C 101 - 18C 3,809.
  • The Peerless models sometimes have 2 series; the 1st Series Car Ser.# ran from C810, 025 - C812, 900. 2nd Series ran from C812, 901 - C813, 651.
  • Preceding the 6-81 was a similar Model 6-80:  14,525 built from 1926-1928. It had a 230 cu. in. six vs. the 248 cu. in. six in the 6-81. 
  • The 1929 model range was 6-61/6-81/6-91/8-125, lowest to highest price
  • There were some continuation cars going into the 1930 model year on the 6-61 and 6-81, mostly meaning built after the model year end for 1929, meaning Sept. 1st or later. Technically, there are some 1930 6-81s, and 1930 6-61s(called 6-61As).

 

----Jeff

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Mal, thank you for posting those photos you took at the Historic Vehicle Club. Have you told Mike about the 6-81 having a mate? There's a blue 1930 6-81 Sedan owned by someone named Andrew from Harrington Park, NSW. Purchased at a Florida Auction in 2012. He bought it so he could have all of the 3 Ps.

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Jeff,

 

Have met Andrew, he was a member of the Packard Club here some years ago. Opened up his storage for the club to visit and see his collection, many old Fords(pre Model T) as well as many others. Below is a photo that Andrew forwarded me of the Peerless he bought. The comments I recorded about at the time were: "Photo and information courtesy of Andrew B. Of his 1930 Peerless six 81 sedan, a late 1929 build, sold in 1930. Restored in 1954, an older restoration that has stood up very well. The same guy owned the car from 1954 to 2004. Peerless used a Continental engine (also used in Marmon and others) it is 248 cubic inch flat head."

Peerless - Andrew B.jpg

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I was told by a guy from the Sapphire Coast Historic Vehicle Club that the owner, at the time, had contacted someone from a northern US state who had a 18c engine that he would ship to Australia. When the local here tried to contact him again he had passed away & he could not remember where exactly he was located. I would like to source a 18C engine if at all possible. This could be shipped to Oz in a container with John DeBrincat when he brings tyres into Oz.

I do believe the head did have an issue, don't know if it was rectified or not so hence the question seeking an engine.

Cheers, Mike

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Howdy Mike,

Do you know the current status of the engine? Maybe the current owner got it fixed. On the Horseless Carriage Club forum here, under "HCCA Classified Ads", "Parts & Collectibles", there's an ad from someone in California who does casting repair to heads. Finding replacement engines is like pulling a rabbit out of a hat, even if you have unlimited money. You should run through the Peerless Parts For Sale Thread when you have the chance. It gives you an idea of what shows up now and then.

 

You may want to compare notes with fellow 1929 Peerless Model 6-81 owner "petemick" here on the forums. You can look at his previous posts. Have you checked ebay and the seller kittycoins? He is the one who puts Brian Coffee's Peerless parts on the market, someone who's mentioned on the above thread. I took a glance today and saw some interesting odds & ends:

  1. Peerless Hubcap.....$136
  2. 1926 Peerless 6-80 Distributor.....$288.75
  3. 1926-'27 Peerless Horn Button.....$68
  4. Peerless Hubcap.....$77.50
  5. Continental Engine for 1929 Peerless 6-81, Ser.# 18C-8194.....$3,671 OBO
  6. Peerless Radiator Emblem, New, Green Background.....$393.75
  7. Peerless Logo Tire Gauge.....$134.50
  8. Peerless Open End Wrench, about 1 1/4" gap, Says "7" and "FAIRMOUNTCLEVE". Curved, resembles 1920s Ford starter wrench. Does not say "Peerless" on it.....$98
  9. 1939 Hacker-Craft 19-foot Mahogany Motorboat/Trailer/Motor.....$5,500.....needs work. In theory one could arrive at certain shows, like Keels & Wheels, with the '29 Peerless pulling the '39 Hacker-Craft.

s-l1600.jpg

 

Didn't think you'd be interested in a boat, but you did say you had a container lined up.

 

''''''

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi Jeff,

 

I've been lurking here for about six months. You are a veritable cornucopia of Peerless information.

I'm looking for information on the earliest years of Peerless, do you think the Case Western Reserve archives would be of any help? Specifically I am looking for photos of a Peerless Motorette and looking for specs on the Type 3 and Type 4. They seem willing to assist once I get there but they don't give much information through email.

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Hi Alex, 

  The Peerlesses built 1900-1902 are enigmas. Somewhere between 1 and 60 examples of each of the other model years exist of the Peerless brand. I think 1 or 2 or 3 were built in time for the 1900 NY Auto Show. Though technically 1901 models, they were built in 1900 and take the official start of automobile manufacturing for the marque back to 1900. There are some photos around of a "1900 Peerless Motorette" that was at a Hershey meet, maybe in 1958 or 1959. Richard Lichtfeld tells me it was a photo in the AACA or HCCA magazine, if I remember correctly. No one knows what happened to it. One issue is that you could have a French-built De Dion Bouton, a Peerless Motorette, a Pierce Motorette, and a Brooklyn-built De Dion Bouton Motorette in the same building and it would be hard to tell them apart. 

 

   Without looking it up I can't place which ones are 3 and 4. Guessing the Type 1 is the Tri-Cycle; the Type 2 is the 2.75 h.p. Motorette; the Type 3 the Motorette w/ a De Dion Bouton 1-cyl. of 3.5 h.p.; and the Type 4 and 5 are versions of the 1902 product w/ C-Channel steel frame, tilt steering wheel, driveshaft & differential.

 

  No 1902's survive, though they were probably the most radical Peerless of all. A number of writers covered one that appeared at the 1921 NY Auto Show and commented on how it had 200,000 miles on it and was running like a top. These generally were known for opposed twin 16 h.p. engines. 8 and 12 h.p. powerplants also were used.

 

  A few 1903 & 1904 Peerlesses are around........including the canopy-topped "aught-four" which sold at the Amelia Island Sale this year; raising the bar for RECORD PEERLESS SALES PRICE EVER. It was from the Don Boulton Collection down in Oklahoma, a Type 8, Style K: 

Image result for 1902 Peerless

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peerless Motorette, circa 1900-1901. .................An illustration like this appeared in an issue of Outing Magazine late in the year 1900. Horseless Age also had a story about the new automaker, and a carriage builder compared it to another Ohio carmaker, the Ohio Automobile Co., later to be called Packard.

See the source image.

 

 

...........One account says 90 of these were built, another that 1902s production was 238. Mis-dated -- here's what's definitely a 1902-type of car(whether Type 3,4,5,6,or 7...I don't know) from a vending machine trading card by Premiere:

(There's also a similar illustration[1902 company ad] in History of American Automobiles 1861-1929, CH. 7, by Royal Feltner.)

 

Image result for 1900 Peerless

 

Image result for 1902 Peerless motor car company

 

 

.............................................................................................................................................................My guess is that this one is a Type 3, Style E with an 8 HP Peerless one-cylinder:

 

Screenshot 2019-06-24 at 1.59.18 PM.png

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There's a backissue of the Horseless Carriage Gazette with a  helpful chart of model evolution:

"The Adventure Continues: PEERLESS The Early Years" by Thomas Oliff, JAN-FEB 1992, pp 11-27{Please see partial list below}

[A companion piece covering 1900-1931 is "Peerless: All That The Name Implies", NOV-DEC 1991, pp 50-56 by Bill Cuthbert.]

 

YEAR.......MODEL....HP.........CYL.......B&S..........WB.................COMMENTS       

1901    Type 1(A).................. 1..............                                      Tricycle, 15 built   

1901              2(B) 2 3/4.........1..............                                      Motorette

1901              2(C) 3 1/2.........1..............                                      Motorette

1901              2(D) 5................1..............                                      Motorette

1901 & 02     3(E)  8................1...............                                       

1901 & 02     4(F)  16..............2.......4.5x5.5                                (first years of the 2 cyl. were cast separately)             

1901 & 02     5(G)  12..............2

1903              6(F)...16..............2......4_x5_ ................................(first car in Lake City, CO was one of these -- now owned by Bonhams auction house CEO Malcolm Barber)

1904              7.......35..............4.......4.25x5.5.....104"/107"

1904....Type 8(_)..24..............4...............................97" ............(first car in Salmon, ID was one of these) 

"_" = illegible

 

Both of the above writers remark on the difficulty in identifying Peerlesses by year and model -- as they sometimes used an illustration of a previous model to promote a new one, and weren't consistent on when model changeover occurred. 

 

 

Edited by jeff_a (see edit history)
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This shot was taken by a British photographer on one of his first visits to an American car show, in Vermont, I believe. The same mindset that caused hundreds of little replicas inspired by the Curved Dash Oldsmobile to be constructed with lawn mower engines and bicycle wheels apparently has spread to other marques. You know, I'm a terrible golfer, capable of a score of 100 on 9 holes of a professional-level course, but I can see this as an ace golf cart, which might be what this started as.  

🙈🙈🙈This is not a 1900 Peerless - even though it says so on a genuine wood sign. They do get points for having the motometer sprout out of the electric horn.🎺 🎺🎺☑️Image result for 1900 Peerless

 

1902 Other Ache Freres for sale...this is also not a 1900 Peerless, but a 1902 Ache Freres with De Dion Bouton motor. I post it here because it may help us understand what the 1901 Peerless Tri-Cycles looked like. Only 15 built, none survive, no photos survive, supposedly had a bicycle seat in front, pedals, and an upholstered seat in back for two to ride in cushioned comfort. Ad from collectorcar.com/ad dates to 11/21/16/For Sale for only $115K/contact: 909-436-eight eight one four in Rialto, CA.

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On 8/19/2019 at 10:39 PM, alextheantiqueautoguy said:

Hi Jeff,

 

I've been lurking here for about six months. You are a veritable cornucopia of Peerless information.

I'm looking for information on the earliest years of Peerless, do you think the Case Western Reserve archives would be of any help? Specifically I am looking for photos of a Peerless Motorette and looking for specs on the Type 3 and Type 4. They seem willing to assist once I get there but they don't give much information through email.

 Hi alextheantiquecarguy,

    I forgot to say welcome to the AACA Forums. There is a ton of data here on these 90 forums going back to about 1998. When I first started using it in 2006 there wasn't even a Peerless Forum, but I found out there were dozens of posts about Peerless that could be read using the search function. In late 2007, Wayne Burgess helped set up this Forum out of some of those random posts and now we have something. At one time the only users were Wayne from VA, Bryan from IA, Philippe from The Ardennes, and I.

   I don't have an answer to the question about Case Western. Aren't Case Western Reserve University, The Cleveland Museum of Art, and the Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum in the same area? I spent an hour or so in the Crawford Auto Aviation Museum once, sketching and measuring an engine, but never saw any archives there or at Case Western.

   Glad to see someone else interested in the earliest Peerlesses. I think they are fascinating, myself. A lot of focus on Peerless is on the Green Dragons & V-16 prototypes, considering they were never for sale to the public, so good to read your post about these pioneer cars. The 1900-1904 Period is the base for all later accomplishments by Peerless. Have you gotten ahold of the Automobile Quarterly , VOL 11, NO 1, with the 32 pages about Peerless ------ or Antique Automobile, 1962, VOL 26, NO. 2, "The Edwardian Peerless" by E. Stanley Cope, M.D., pages 84-107? Both excellent places to start. The latter is about 1900-1915 Peerless cars in general and lists Barney Pollard as owning a 1901 Peerless. Richard Wager in his 1986 book Golden Wheels, has an 18 page chapter on Peerless and goes into the 1900-1903 efforts quite a bit.                        

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Thanks for your reply, Jeff. I'm still unaccustomed to the layout of the forum, I learned today, posts are not organized by date. I think I can find your reply quicker in the future.

I do have the Hendry article from Automobile Quarterly. The other two are new to me and I will track them down. One thing about it, there's not a lot of competition for this kind of thing.

You are right about Case Western Reserve, the Crawford and The Cleveland Museum. I'm trying to organize a Cleveland visit in September. Case Western said they have materials but will only give general descriptions about what they have. I understand their response so I think my next call will be to the Crawford, I bet someone there will offer more specific direction.

 

Thanks again, good sources and I will keep you posted on my research if you are interested.

Alex

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Richard Lichtfeld of Wisconsin, The Green Dragon on the forums here, went on a research trip to the Cleveland Public Library, and also to the Detroit Public Library, about 2008. The DPL has the National Automotive History Collection. It requires advance notice of several days before admittance for research. Looking at their online presence, it appears they have quite a few things. I typed in "Peerless" on their site's Digital Public Library, and the 1st picture was a fantastic shot of workers around three 1902 Peerless 2-cyl. cars. I posted it for a few minutes, but then read they don't allow reproduction of material without permission(which you can't get on a weekend).

 

The posts here on the 90 or so forums are organized by forum, thread and date. Everything entered remains, if you know how to search for it. The most recent stuff is on top of the pile. This forum could be just a jumble of 2,146 posts, if everyone had commented on the first post from about 2001, which I think was "Peerless Hidden In A Barn". Instead, other threads or topics have been added, like "Peerless For Sale Department", "Peerless Parts For Sale Thread", "The Missing Peerless Records Collection", and "1903 Peerless Brass Hood". It's still a jumble, but one divided into maybe 250 threads. That way there can be repeat comments on related things. [The Peerless Forum is a pretty quiet part of the AACA Forums compared to General Discussion, Buick, and Cars For Sale......but "Peerless Research Findings" has had hundreds of additions & has been viewed 33,000 times.]

 

It's a little confusing til you get used to it, but to make room for all these messages, things are archived. Do you see at the top of this page, left side, there are 7 little boxes that say "PREV, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7"(7 highlighted) ? Only room for seven posts on this page of "Peerless Research Findings" -- so you can go from the top of the pile(2019)(box 7) back to the original post[first post on that thread] in 2009, box 1. If you hit the "FORUMS" button at the top of the page, scroll down to the "PEERLESS" button on that index of all the forums, and go to the first page of the Peerless Forum, you'll find there are 10 boxes to hold all of the thread titles(25 threads/page). The boxes at the top of the page will read "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, NEXT" (1 is highlighted). In this case, it means that page(box 1) is the most recent stuff(2019), and you can go back 18 years to the oldest post(box 10).

 

Keep me posted on your research.

Now you're supposed to say you found some one and two cylinder cars bearing some resemblance to De Dion or Peerless horseless carriages.

 

  

Edited by jeff_a (see edit history)
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  • 2 weeks later...
On 4/29/2009 at 6:56 PM, jeff_a said:

8. There's an article in <span style="text-decoration: underline">Antique Automobile </span> (Jan/Feb 2001) by George E. Orwig III "From Clothes Wringers & Bicycles to Horseless Carriages & Luxury Cars". Please contact me if you have a copy.

 

 

I ordered a copy of the magazine through ebay. I'll let you know when it comes in. I'm headed to the Western Reserve Historical Library later next week. 

A big event I have not seen advertised. The Crawford Museum is opening their warehouse on Saturday (Sept 14) for a "Coffee and Cars" event. This is the first time in ten years and the second time in recent history that they are allowing a public visit there. Macedonia, Ohio.  https://www.wrhs.org/events/crawford-coffee-cars-september/

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On 8/21/2019 at 9:20 PM, jeff_a said:

There's a backissue of the Horseless Carriage Gazette with a  helpful chart of model evolution:

"The Adventure Continues: PEERLESS The Early Years" by Thomas Oliff, JAN-FEB 1992, pp 11-27{Please see partial list below}

[A companion piece covering 1900-1931 is "Peerless: All That The Name Implies", NOV-DEC 1991, pp 50-56 by Bill Cuthbert.]

 

YEAR.......MODEL....HP.........CYL.......B&S..........WB.................COMMENTS       

1901    Type 1(A).................. 1..............                                      Tricycle, 15 built   

1901              2(B) 2 3/4.........1..............                                      Motorette

1901              2(C) 3 1/2.........1..............                                      Motorette

1901              2(D) 5................1..............                                      Motorette

1901 & 02     3(E)  8................1...............                                       

1901 & 02     4(F)  16..............2.......4.5x5.5                                (first years of the 2 cyl. were cast separately)             

1901 & 02     5(G)  12..............2

1903              6(F)...16..............2......4_x5_ ................................(first car in Lake City, CO was one of these -- now owned by Bonhams auction house CEO Malcolm Barber)

1904              7.......35..............4.......4.25x5.5.....104"/107"

1904....Type 8(_)..24..............4...............................97" ............(first car in Salmon, ID was one of these) 

"_" = illegible

 

Both of the above writers remark on the difficulty in identifying Peerlesses by year and model -- as they sometimes used an illustration of a previous model to promote a new one, and weren't consistent on when model changeover occurred. 

 

 

I'm surprised that he does not list the 1900 Motorettes that Peerless was making. They showed a Type C at the first NY Auto Show, so it is  certain that Peerless was in the auto manufacturing business by 1900. Though I have read about the trike, I have never seen it mentioned in the trade magazines of the day, not once. They did not list Motorettes after 1901.

 

I'm not being argumentative below, just sharing what I have.


I have not seen the Type 5 mentioned in any year either. 

 

The earliest bore and stroke measurment I have is from 1902 for aType 4 is 4x4.5 sourced from Automobile Topics, April 5, 1902, Vol. 3, No. 25, p943.

 

I saw an article about the first car in Lake City, CO and thought their specs were off based on the sources I have but hopefully we will learn something from the Cleveland History Collection. Generally, I find owners are not really good sources for information on their cars. They don't research, they take what they have as urtext and nobody knows what the car may have been through. Don Boulton was an exception to that. I was very lucky to have seen his collection. Got to speak with him briefly.

I'm still trying to catch up with you on these posts. More later

 

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