Peerless Research Findings

[jeff_a]

Re: PRF #58

This is the picture of the 1912 Peerless Limousine from The Western Development Museum in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Photo credit: Trekphiler on Wikipedia's listing for the Peerless Motor Car Company.

Edited September 10, 2009 by jeff_a (see edit history)

[Guest Royal Feltner]

Thank you, Jeff, for posting those pictures. If I may, I would like to use the 1927 6-72 model for my web site. Royal

[Richard Lichtfel]

Royal Feltner,

That is quite a collection of pictures. The 1908 Mason that you have pictured is a 1907. Mason had the brass radiator in 1908. The 1909 Mason truck you have pictured is mine and also has a 5 passenger body that can be changed. It is a two in one, model 12 built by the Duesenberg brothers in Des Moines. The manual says two men can change bodies in 20 minutes but we have found it takes four of us but we can do it in less than 20 minutes. We did the change at the ACD meet this past weekend.

Something else to ad to your collection is some documented Wisconsin history, I will quote from original papers,"Did you know that the first automobile was conceived and born in Racine, Wisconsin in 1873"? This fact was conceded in "The Horseless Age" Jan. 1904 and recognized at the Automobile Exposition in Paris in 1908 where the Racine inventor, as guest of honor, was hailed as the father of the automobile. The first automobile was designed and built by Dr. J.W. Carhart pastor of M.E. church.

When it made its first appearance on Racine streets newspapers hailed it as a challenge to the horse drawn conveyance and a prophecy of the motor age. However horse owners and others regarded it as a nuisance and source of danger. In its issue of May 7, 1873 the Racine Journal carried its first description of the First American Automobile.

The description is lengthy and I won't put it in here. This is fully documented and yet history doesn't give him credit for it. Wisconsin has had many first but has not been given credit for any. The first self propelled road race 200 miles in 1878. Schoemer built two autos in 1889 and sold one to a friend. One is in the Milwaukee museum. There were 90 auto and truck manufacturers in Wisconsin. Wisconsin was the first state to implement a uniform marking system for all the roads in the State that was soon adopted by the other states and some other countries. I could go on. I have written an article about this and if you are interested I will send you a copy.

[Guest Royal Feltner]

Thank you very much for your letter. In my forty years in the numismatic and antique business, I have always given the dedicated collectors of anything with having more knowledge about their collectons than any dealer has. I have always admired and trusted them. As you know from reading my home page that I started the website as something to do and I knew diddly squat about antique cars other than admiration. I wanted to know about the automobiles that Amesbury body builders made. From there it grew. I have been to every museum, almost all of the international, national and local club automobile meetings web pages. I checked all of the cars on the Brighton to London races, the Wikipedia, Yahoo, and Google images from 1893 to 1929. Evey year had at least thirty five pages. I have checked ever state and local archives that had manufactured an automobile. Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Indiana were my favorites and I have them on my favorite page. Some of these cars took me hours to find and I was extremely lucky when I found them. The Mason car was one of them. Its history is amazing. That is one fine car. The picture that I got did not give a date so I put it in the middle of time it was in business. I will change it. I read about the Carhart and I certainly want all the information that you have on the early Wisconsin cars. I have a Schoemer on my Pre1900 page, but I could use a better one with dates that he made them. I will post all of it on my site under your name. There is so much misinformation about the early cars that has been repeated so many times that it has become a fact. I will give Benz credit for being the first to patent an engine, but not the first to build an automobile. I up-date my site at least every day with new photos that I keep finding. It is fascinating. Thanks again for all of your help. Royal

[jeff_a]

johnk,

That's wonderful that you are going to attend Hershey. I've never been there before and wish it weren't six tanks of gas away. The people who are lined up to be there from the Peerless Motor Car Club are some of the real authorities regarding the marque, in my opinion. Are you considering bringing your PEERLESS 8-125? ---Jeff

Edited September 10, 2009 by jeff_a (see edit history)

[Richard Lichtfel]

Jeff,

I am not bringing my Peerless to Hershey, it is a zoo out there, I would rather take my Peerless to Idaho. When you go east from Wisconsin the traffic gets heavy, the roads are all tolls and gas is expensive. When we go west traffic is light, gas is less, and no tolls. Also my tow vehicle is being used that week by my daughter to haul horses for a show. We share.

I hadn't planned on going to Hershey so I will probably take my wifes Chysler and I will be limited for space. I want to bring a table, chairs, canopy, and some Peerless stuff to display.

I am going to pick up Ron Koelpin in Cleveland, so I won't have much with out a truck.

RHL

[jeff_a]

Royal,

You're welcome to use the photo of the 1927 Peerless on your site. Did you mean the one by the stone house or the one with the Packard? I assume you mean one of the photos on the Photo Gallery on this site you find after searching for "Peerless". Just say "Photo by Philippe Mordant" or something to that effect.

[jeff_a]

RHL,

Thank you for commenting on the AACA national meet in Hershey. I didn't figure you would be bringing a Peerless...it's enough that our Club will have a booth there. Probably not enough room to display one in the 3 spaces we have, is there? Wouldn't there also be the problem of 14,000 people that walk by a car wanting to put their paws on it...or do folks behave themselves? --Jeff

Edited September 17, 2009 by jeff_a (see edit history)

[Richard Lichtfel]

Actually the people today at car shows are real good and respect the cars. At Auburn the Interstate battery company provided a tent for the Mason cars and plants and statues for a beautiful atmosphere for the cars and pictures. Nothing was roped off and this made for good pictures. There were hundreds of people there around the cars and no one touched them. And with brass cars fingerprints do tarnish.

[jeff_a]

71. Placard at Towe Auto Museum, Sacramento, CA: "1910 Peerless Model 27 7-Passenger Tourer... It is estimated that approximately 35 Peerless cars remain today." --Thank you, Nancy DeWitt, for pic of Peerless and placard

 

72. There will be a Peerless at the Hershey Meet next week: a blue 1920 Model 56 Cloverleaf Roadster is scheduled for the 10/09/09 RM Auction.

 

73. The above car was described by its owner as "The original muscle car" in a Hemmings ad two years ago (see "Peerless Records??" thread, post no. 11).

 

74. The 1927 Peerless for sale at Reynolds Museum, Ltd. in Wetaskiwin, Alberta sold to someone a few months ago. It was a Mod. 6-80 Sedan. New owner & location unknown. Drawing is from a photo I took in February.

 

75. If someone asks you what a Peerless is, you could say:

a) they built their first car in 1900 and had sales of over $100 200 300 Million b)) they started out with a 1-cylinder car and finished with a 16-cylinder

 

76. A great piece about Peerless came out recently (by Glen Woodcock at: Time Machines - September 2009, 18). The article featured a 1929 8-125 shown at a Concours of the Antique & Classic Car Club of Canada.

 

77. Adding up the numbers of all the Peerless cars with the 289 cu. in. six [sometimes called a Peerless Six or a Collins Six], you get: 2,786 Mod. 6-70, 5,565 Mod. 6-72, 3,174 Mod. 6-90, and 3,194 Mod. 6-91 cars, using Philippe's post here about how to identify your Peerless.

Edited September 7, 2019 by jeff_a (see edit history)

[jeff_a]

In hopes of seeing the '29 Peerless mentioned in the story link in PRF #76, I rented the 1990's movie Black Beauty. Not only were there no Peerlesses, there wasn't a single motorcar. It turns out that this version of the movie was set about 1870. The autonet link does have a good photo of the car and most of the data is accurate.

Edited October 24, 2009 by jeff_a (see edit history)

[jeff_a]

78. The original master drawing for the Peerless motometer artwork is for sale on a site called tomfolio.com . Artwork is dated 5/27/24 and priced at $225.00.

 

79. You would have the largest collection of Peerless cars in the world if you had nine. Clearly, to have the largest Buick, Franklin, or Packard collection in the world, one would need a big facility and a big investment...but someone with more modest means could set up a "Peerless Museum -- World's Largest Collection!" with ten cars.

 

80. Unless it was supplying scrap metal, Peerless had no effect on WWII that I know of. Can anyone name two contributions Peerless made to WWI?

 

81. My Hemmings Motor News Calendar tells me that Nov. 3rd marks 109 years since the N.Y. Auto Show opened in 1900, where Peerless first introduced their 1-Cyl. cars. $1,300 would buy you a 3 1/2 h.p. Runabout, according to Richard Lichtfeld's history of Peerless.

 

82. Looking at my list of list of surviving Peerless cars & trucks, I found that fully 10% of them are either Boat Tail Coupes (21) or Boat Tail Roadsters (7).

 

83. Peerless was one of ten U.S. automakers prewiring their cars to Transitone (Philco) radio specs in 1930.

 

84. About 7,019 Peerless Model 6-60's were built in 1927 and 1928.

Edited December 20, 2017 by jeff_a (see edit history)

[Guest Series19]

Thinking about it, I would go with trucks and armored cars.

[jeff_a]

Series19,

Thanks for stopping by the Peerless Forum. You are correct on both counts. I read in a Peerless Sales Manual that they supplied 12,000 trucks to the war effort, mostly to the British. The trucks were 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-ton, with some converted to armored cars.

Besides providing trucks in general, I was thinking along the lines of what Maurice Hendry said in his 1973 Automobile Quarterly story -- that Peerless trucks mounted with anti-aircraft guns forced German reconnaissance planes to fly to heights of 10,000 feet.

[Guest Royal Feltner]

While searching on the internet, I came across a beautiful 1912 Peerless model 36 Limousine that I posted on my web site www.earlyamericanatomobiles.com under Special Automobiles. Of all the Peerles automobiles that I have seen in my research, this was the most beautiful one. On this page, I have the only photos known of the 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, and 1915 Bailey Electrics. On my Bailey Electric page are several more of these pictures plus several detailed images of the 1913.

[Guest Royal Feltner]

Just a reminder, Next week I will be going to two Historical museums in my area, Stoneham, Ma. where the famous Shawmut (1909 Coast to Coast Race) and Healy automobiles were made and Beverely, Ma. where the Upton was made. They both have a tremendous amount of material about these automobiles and will be made available to me. I will be putting all of this on my web site. Royal

[jeff_a]

Royal,

Your link on post # 57 doesn't work. I think you left out a "u" after the last "a" of the highlighted address.

[Guest Royal Feltner]

Thank you, Jeff. It should be Early  American Automobiles - Home Page. Since the last post, I caught my right hand in my table saw and three fingers were hurt, but fortunately, two are fully healed and the third one, my mouse finger, will soon be operating up to full speed again. I have a new page called Mars Made in Massachusetts. I still have a lot to do. For the first time you can see the only surviving Bay State, and previoulsy unknown pictures of the 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, and 1915 Bailey Electrics. Royal

[jeff_a]

I was looking at your Early American Automobiles site again today and enjoyed seeing the great number of photos, including many I'd never seen before. Great pictures of 1914, 1917 and 1927 Peerlesses, by the way. If you would allow me to point out a picture that might have gotten a caption reversed with another car, you might want to look at the one of the lavender car titled "1915 Dodge Runabout"; it appears to be more along the lines of a 1929 Ruxton or a 1930 Dupont. Also, the car listed as a 1917 Lincoln is definitely a Lincoln, but I think they were still building aircraft engines in 1917, so that could be a little newer (maybe a 1921?) auto, and possibly even one built in the Henry Leland days, before Ford owned the Company.

[Guest Royal Feltner]

Thank you for such a nice post. I will take a look at these photos. I check the pages often because I have frequenty found cars popping up where they don't belong. I am still using Microsoft FrontPage 98 for my website. It is easier for me. Have a great Christmas. Royal

[jeff_a]

85. I was shocked to discover the factory price of a 1928 Peerless Model 8-69 7-Passenger Sedan: $3,095. You could have bought six Model A's for that much money!

 

86. A photo of a Peerless truck at work with a steam shovel is for sale on ebay. Time period: 1920's. Location: South Vallejo, California.

 

87. 1923 Luxury Car Sales Figures: Cadillac 17,809, Packard 13,832, Peerless 4,775, Lincoln 4,348, Marmon 2,830, Auburn 2,443 and Pierce-Arrow 1,669.

 

88. With the passing of the manheimgold antique value guide a few months ago, about all that is left is the The Standard Catalog of American Cars, Vol. I, 1805-1942. One example is 1929 Peerless 6-61 Roadster...$47,000; and 1929 Mod. 6-81 7-Pass. Phaeton...$49,000; the highest of any of the 329 Peerless models and body styles listed.

 

89. Remember that the book listed above was published in 1996. It does list the factory prices -- and has a 5-tier condition rating -- and was compiled by eminent auto historians -- but still consists of ESTIMATES, not real sale prices. Some of the estimates are really pulled out of a hat, in my opinion.

 

90. Re: PRF #88. The Standard Catalog value for a Condition#1 1929 6-61 Roadster is one of the highest of all 329 Peerlesses there. This was probably the least expensive Peerless model ever offered for sale between 1900 and 1931!

 

91. Re: PRF #88. Listing for a 1900 Peerless Type B Motorette, Condition#5...$4,000.

Edited December 20, 2017 by jeff_a (see edit history)

[jeff_a]

92. Re: PRF# 88. Estimated value for Condition#5 1912 Model 60-Six Berline Limousine...$4,200.

 

93. Re: PRF# 88. Condition#4 1905 Model 12 60 HP Victorian Tonneau...$5,800.

 

94. Re: PRF#88. Condition#3 1906 Model 14 30 HP Racing Runabout...$9,500.

 

95. Re: PRF#88. Condition#1 1916 Model 56 7-P Touring...$35,000.

 

96. Re: PRF#88. Condition#1 1925 Model 6-70 5-P (or 7-P) Touring...$33,000, #5...$4,700.

 

97. Re: PRF#88. Condition#1 1930 "Standard Eight" Sedan...$26,000, #2...$13,700,#3...$7,300, #4...$4,700, #5...$3,700.

 

98. Re: PRF#88. Condition#1 1931 "Standard Eight" Cabriolet...$39,000 (there's one of these out there somewhere)(please see "Peerless photo on eBay" thread from 7/5/08 for a photograph of a similar car).

Edited December 20, 2017 by jeff_a (see edit history)

[jeff_a]

99. I was debating with another Club member recently whether Peerless 6's were built after 1929. From 1930-on, the company was supposed to be "all-straight-8"...but a number of 1930 and 1931 6-61A's and 6-81's keep turning up.

 

100. I read in a newspaper today ( the 2/9/30 Reading Eagle, Reading, PA, pg 36 ) a press release from a car dealer saying:

"The present model 61A, a six-cylinder automobile of conservative price, will be continued, the Peerless executives said." The "Custom" and "Master" were already in production, but the "Standard" 8 wasn't, yet.

 

101. From Time Magazine, November 2, 1930:

"Notable industrial developments last week were: ...Addition of about 500 men to the Peerless Motor Car Corp. payroll..."

 

102. Using PeerlessBelgium's "How To Identify Your Peerless" post...I came up with these figures for The Number of Peerless Cars Built 1930-1932 With Straight-8's, by model: "Standard": 2,032...."Master": 1,274:...."Custom": 652.

 

103. Peerless Film: There was a movie with a Peerless, Julia Roberts, Aidan Quinn, Alan Rickman, and Liam Neeson in it: "Michael Collins", 1996. Subject: conflicts in Ireland, 1916-22. They used a mock-up of a Peerless armored car on a genuine Peerless chassis. I got a copy on 3/11/10.

 

104. Someone in Ireland has recently restored a Peerless armored car and joined the Peerless Club. So that makes one in England, one in Ireland , and one that may be at a Russian military facility. I tried tracking that one down but ran into some language difficulties.

 

105. There's a really distinctive-looking 1920 Peerless in the Great Smoky Mountain Car Museum in Pigeon Forge, TN. It appears to be a 7-Passenger Sedan or Sedan-Limousine, each costing just under $4,000 new.

Edited December 20, 2017 by jeff_a (see edit history)

[Richard Lichtfel]

According to my Peerless records 1929 was the last year they produced the 6 cylinder car. There may have been some produced in late 1929 and sold as 1930 models. All my records and ads for 1930 only show the 8 cylinder models. I think a 1931 6 cylinder Peerless would be mistaken idenity.

RHL

[jeff_a]

Thanks for commenting on the 1930-31 Peerlesses. I don't know what was really going on. Wish I could go back in time and find out if any six was built after 1/1/30. Maybe the '30 & '31 sixes are just technicalities -- such as leftover stock not titled until then -- but the newspaper article I mentioned was printed the second week of February, 1930.

Edited June 8, 2010 by jeff_a (see edit history)

[jeff_a]

106. Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky designed the Peerless model lineup for 1930 and 1931. He was a celebrated Russian designer who also created coachwork for Auburn, Cadillac, Hispano-Suiza, Isotta-Fraschini, Marmon, Mercedes-Benz, Minerva, Nash, Packard, and White.

 

107. I discovered that RestorationStuff.com has reproduction motometers with Peerless logos on them for sale. Both brass & chrome, and in Jr. [$52.50] & Sr. [$92.50] sizes. They also appear to have running board step plates with a small Peerless logo in an insert near the top.

 

108. Before the manheimgold.com price guide was discontinued last year, I wrote down the estimated values of a couple of Peerless cars, and will include a few for comparison's sake. The categories are: Fair/Good/Excellent/Show/(Loan). These were last updated June, 2008.

 

109. Re: PRF#108. 1925 Model 6-70 Roadster: $4,300/$8,000/$13,000/$20,000/($7,000)

 

110. Re: PRF#108. 1925 Model 6-70 Touring: $7,300/$13,300/$21,000/$33,500/($12,500)

 

111. Re: PRF#108. 1927 Model 6-72 Boattail Coupe: $5,000/$7,000/$9,000/$11,000/($6,000)

 

112. Re: PRF#108. 1927 Model 6-80 2-D Sedan: $4000/$7500/$12500/$17000/($6500)

Edited December 20, 2017 by jeff_a (see edit history)

[jeff_a]

113. Re: PRF#108. 1927 Model 6-80 Boattail Coupe: $5000/$9000/$14000/$19000/($8000)

114. Re: PRF#108. 1927 Model 6-80 Roadster: $8000/$12000/$18000/$26000/($10500)

115. Please remember that all these price guides and value guides are very subjective. Clearly, some makes of cars are worth more than other cars, even if they are the same year and condition. On the other hand, if a guide says a Peerless is worth $4800, it may sell for $2000....or $170,500.

116. It probably wouldn't be a good idea to buy a 1910's or 1920's Peerless V-8 as a way to save money on gas. I was talking to the owner of a 1924 Peerless Mod. 66, and he said the car has plenty of power, but fuel economy ranges from 6 to 9 mpg!

117. The Peerless Company's motto in French: etait quele nom implique ( All That The Name Implies ).

118. The Standard Catalog, Vol. I value estimates for a 1924 Peerless (Model 66 V-8) 5-Pass. Town Sedan were: $2200/$3200/$4400/$7000/$15000.

119. The Standard Catalog's figures suggested that the 1924 Peerless (Model 66 V-8) 4-Pass. Phaeton was worth the following in 1996: $5300/$7000/$11500/$24000/$37000. The factory cost was $2690.

Edited August 18, 2010 by jeff_a (see edit history)

[jeff_a]

120. Here's a trivia question probably no one can answer: What type of radiator mascot did Doris Duke have on the Peerless she used at her Waikiki retreat? (Wish I had a photo of the car -- but I don't)

 

121. For those of us who weren't around in the 30's, Miss Duke was the heiress to a large tobacco and electric utility fortune. The popular press liked to describe her as "The Richest Girl In The World".

 

122. Reading about the opening of the Gilmore Car Museum's Franklin Museum last weekend reminded me of the reply I got to a query as to whether there were any Peerless cars at The Gilmore in October, 2008:

 

"Unfortunately, we do not have a Peerless in the collection...if you know of someone willing to loan one for display I am sure we would be very interested." --Jay A. Follis, Director of Marketing, Gilmore Car Museum

 

123. The Gilmore Car Museum is in Hickory Corners, Michigan and was founded in 1966. In addition to its own collection housed in several buildings, there is the Classic Car Club of America Museum (since 1987), the Lincoln Museum (2008), and the Franklin Museum (2010); all on the same campus.

 

124. Info is still coming in, but an antique car dealer has a '29 Peerless Roadster for sale in North Carolina. I've seen photos, the car is Black with Red stripes, and has a 6-81-style hood.

 

125. Singer Celine Dion organized a Concours d'Elegance for 2010 in Quebec. Peerless Club member Derick Adams was invited to display two Peerless motorcars there!

 

126. Former Peerless Motor Car Corporation Vice President and Board Member, James H.R. Cromwell, married Doris Duke in 1935 (see PRF #120 & #121).

Edited January 12, 2018 by jeff_a (see edit history)

[jeff_a]

127. Though I've never found an article about the Peerless Company, per se, that even mentions James Cromwell, Automotive Industries Vol 66, pg 208 says he was a V.P. until 1932; and Moody's Manual of Investments says he resigned from the Board in 1934.

 

128. Advertising slogan for Peerless, from the French publication L'Industrie Automobile et Aeronautique, 1930: "Son nom est une lettre de noblesse...Sa realisation le justifie". (1/9/09 autolit.com ad)

 

129. More from the above magazine: "Cette annee avec les efforts accomplis et comme au temps ou les trois firmes plus connues sous le nom des 3 P faisaient autorite' (il y a plus de vingt ans), la classe des nouvelles <Peerless> s'elevera au tang des voitures de tout premiere plan..."

 

130. Why all the French language? There are French-speaking Peerless owners, like Philippe Mordant of Belgium, and Andre' Vaiselle of Quebec, and the quote is a rare instance of Peerless using the term "The 3 P's".

 

131. Anyone in Omaha looking for a Peerless? There was a Craigslist ad for a 1928 Peerless "green w/ black running boards and white wire rims" July 28th, 2010. Expired ad, but this is the first Peerless in Nebraska I've heard of.

 

132. I found a photo of a beautiful 1909 Peerless Model 25 Raceabout exhibited at the Meadowbrook Concours d'ELEGANCE July 25th, 2010. Source: search on www.flickr.com

 

133. A Peerless won a 1st at the 2010 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance: a 1913 Kimball-Bodied Town Car.

Edited January 12, 2018 by jeff_a (see edit history)

[jeff_a]

134. A Brewster-bodied 1910 Peerless Victoria set a record sale price for the marque at the September 25/26, 2008 Owls Head Museum Auction: $469,000. The motorcar was from the Richard Paine Collection; also ex- Dr. Sam Sher, James Melton, Doris Duke, and Henry Ford Museum.

 

135. PEERLESS IN YELLOWSTONE. I saw a book called Yellowstone: Selected Photographs 1870-1960 by Carl Schreier. It has a large photo of a '27 Peerless Sedan being driven on muddy roads in this National Park. Not sure if car is stuck...but the roads were awful!

 

136. I was reading about a radio promotion on WJAZ, Chicago today: if you sent in a telegram giving your opinion of the Volstead Act, you could win a drawing. Good news: it was for a

1924 Peerless 7-passenger Touring. Bad news: it was in 1924. 47,000 people sent in telegrams and the $3,200 car was awarded.

 

137. At the 1923/24 New York Auto Show and Salon, a Peerless Sedan with body by Springfield Body Co. was exhibited to introduce a new line of luxury Peerlesses for 1924. "Springfield boasted that it was the first vehicle to include a radio as standard equipment", according to coachbuilt.com's site.

 

138. Many of us know about the Series 1 Peerless V-8 having a common ancestry w/ the Herschell-Spillman V-8 in 1916. I just read that the Pratt automobile came out with a Mod. 8-50 using a H-S 283 cu. in./74 hp V-8 in 1915. I thought all the H-S V-8's were 331.8 cu. in. Source: Elcar & Pratt Automobiles, by William S. Locke.

 

139. Don Bettes tells me that some 1923 Peerless Sedans used Fisher bodies.

 

140. A Peerless is on exhibit at the National Road/Zane Grey Museum in Norwich, Ohio. It is a 1930 Model Six-61 Sedan previously owned by William Howell.

Edited January 12, 2018 by jeff_a (see edit history)

[jeff_a]

141. I found an explanation as to why there are a number of 6-cylinder Peerless cars listed by their owners as 1930s -- aside from late titling. An August, 1975 Cars and Parts article by Menno Duerksen says that 6-61s built after September, 1929 were regarded as part of the 1930 line.

 

142. I found a document for sale on ebay today that was unusual: it implied a 1932 Peerless V-16 was given to a couple for a wedding present in 1932. This was a 1970's TRW ad.

 

143. Re: PRF #142. I think the car was given to them to take on their honeymoon to Saratoga Springs and back...and may not have been a permanent gift. There weren't that many V-16 Peerlesses floating around in 1932 (!!!) and this is most likely the same car in the Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum now.

 

144. Out of about 12,000 Peerless trucks that went to Europe during WWI, 64 were made into armored cars -- 16 of which went to Russia.

 

145. A Peerless sold at the RM Auction this fall for $200,750.

 

146. A green 1930 Peerless Standard 8 was listed for an auction at Dodaclassics in Missouri 4/11/10. Straight-8, Dual Sidemounts, very nice car! It is Pete Spagnotti's Sedan and, for whatever reason, was not sold.

 

147. I believe I found a picture of the '23 Peerless V-8 Phaeton recently for sale in Spain at the 1992 Hershey Meet.

Edited January 12, 2018 by jeff_a (see edit history)

[pepcak]

I remember one Peerless from Czech Republic few years ago - unfortunately I found only this not-very-nice picture. I am not even sure if it was 6 or 8...

[jeff_a]

pepcak,

Thank you for posting the photo of the Peerless in the Czech Republic. I have seen 5 black & white photos of it before -- but didn't know it was blue. I think it's a 1929 or 1930 Model 6-81 with a Continental 248 cu. in. six-cylinder motor.

I read about the car in your picture about 4 years ago in an online Czech auto magazine. It was the oldest car at an all-American car show in a smaller town in your country. There are two Peerlesses in the Czech Republic now, that I know of. The other is a Coupe... possibly a 1929 Mod. 6-61.

Edited November 27, 2010 by jeff_a
Added model number of second car.. (see edit history)

[jeff_a]

148. The latest issue of AutoTrader Classics (February, 2011), online as: ClassicCars.com: Thousands of Classic Cars and Muscle Cars for Sale, has a brown 1928 Peerless Sedan for sale in California for $15,900. Nicely restored, not a project! The car is in the issue for sale locally, but not on their site.

 

149. I have seen references to a 4th line of Peerless cars in 1931, in addition to the Standard, Master, and Custom Eight, called the Master Deluxe. I wonder if that is the Weymann-bodied Peerless?

 

150. The 6/15/30 New York Times said: "PEERLESS WEYMANN COMBINATION...as an addition to it's three series of straight eights...announces a 4th line - a Weymann body on a special Peerless chassis."

 

151. In case you haven't looked at the "Peerless Coachbuilders" thread in a while...please do. It's now up to 32 companies!

 

152. Don Bettes copied an article from a 1984 Special Interest Autos about Peerless and sent it to me. It's a 9 page DriveReport about a 1932 Peerless Master Deluxe Eight. One interesting comment was that many 30s cars in the "747 class" don't stop...but this one does.

 

153. Other comments on the '32 Peerless were that the car had a Warner Free-Wheeling unit..."an idea whose time never came", and that "engine braking is a very good thing" (i.e., free-wheeling cancels out engine-braking so you better have good brakes!).

 

154. All of you guys (and dolls) who have a Peerless AND are on the networking site LinkedIn can now have a logo and the words "Peerless Owner" next to your profile. Contact unofficial moderator jeff_a for details.

Edited December 8, 2017 by jeff_a (see edit history)

[jeff_a]

155. The 1928 6-60 in P.R.F. #148 has sold to a new owner in Texas. It's a restored, award-winning car...and I think someone got a very good deal on this Sedan from Huntington Beach , CA.

156. Peerless was the first American automaker to have a heat-treating facility for iron and steel.

157. Peerless was the first car firm to appeal to women in its ads.

158. Peerless introduced the rebate to the auto industry.

159. Knowing there was someone with a Peerless in Turkey, I found a photo of it in an online search. It's a 1928 6-80 and is part of a museum in Istanbul with more than a hundred cars, the Mehmet Arsay Automobile Museum.

160. The first car in Lake City, CO was a 1903 Peerless 16 HP 2-cylinder.

161. The 1st car in Salmon, ID was a 1904 Peerless 24 HP 4-cylinder. I'm giving a program on it at the Lemhi County Historical Society in an hour; complete with 10 Peerless Girls (o.k., xeroxes of these poster girls). Peerless had the 1st poster girls in the U.S. auto industry.

Edited March 10, 2011 by jeff_a (see edit history)

[jeff_a]

162. An original Peerless sales brochure is for sale on e-bay (autolit.com) now with what is billed as the last one for the marque: stampings show it from the Grand Central Palace Auto Show, Jan 9-16, 1932.

163. I saw an article in a 1909 Motor Age about 6 cylinder Peerless engines being used in Elco speedboats. "Guaranteed speed of 22 m.p.h.!" These were large wooden cabin cruisers in the 30-40 foot range.

164. I was surprised to find there is a Peerless dealer still in business in the U.S.: Dimmitt Motors in Tampa Bay, FL. They are selling other brands now but once sold Peerless cars.

165. Occasionally I hear that Peerlesses can't be priced because "not enough change hands to establish a price". It seems a lot of them have been for sale in the last couple of years.

166. When a big Chicago radio station decided to give away a new car in a sweepstakes in the mid-20s, they went to buy "the best car on Automobile Row" and selected a Peerless Phaeton. The winner was selected from thousands of people who sent in 50-cent telegrams in favor of repealing the Volstead Act.

167. Despite a lot of aluminum used in its construction, the 1924-29 Peerless Superb Six engine, with transmission, weighed 750 lbs.

168. A 1931 advertisment said of the new Master De Luxe edition: "Powered by a 125 H.P. Straight Eight Engine - one of the fastest stock cars in the world."

Edited October 31, 2012 by jeff_a
Supplied exact quote from manufacturer in #168. (see edit history)

[Guest pablowest]

That autolit is really nice site to buy some peerless. Thanks for posting this jeff_a.

[jeff_a]

169. The Continental 322 cu. in. engine used in 1929-32 Peerlesses was used in different tunings developing 114-140 h.p. A specially-prepared version of this engine in a DuPont was entered in the Indy 500 in 1930.

 

170. At the 2011 Circuit des Ardennes in Belgium, there were 10 Packards, 2 Peerlesses, 20 Bugattis, and 300 pre-war cars total.

 

171. "One of the big hits of the opening game of the world's series at Washington, October 4, was the Peerless Eight four-passenger touring phaeton which was presented to Roger Peckinpaugh of the Washington baseball club by the fans of Cleveland, his home town."

 

172. " 'Peck' is the fourth member of the Senators to become a Peerless owner, the other three being Walter Johnson, Leon Goslin and George Mogridge." --above quotes from The Peerless Co-Operator, Oct. 9, 1924, courtesy of Don Bettes.

 

173. The 1928 Peerless 6-80 could be ordered with 5 wire wheels as a $75 option or 6 wire wheels could also be ordered for $90 extra, with rear-mounted spares only. The 1928 6-91, with longer wheelbases, could be ordered with disc wheels and dual sidemounts for $150 extra or wire wheels and d/s/m for $225 extra.

 

174. The 1928 Peerless 8-69 was available from $2245 to 2645. This was the last year for the Peerless V-8 (1916-1928). One was for sale at the Stelford auction 20 years ago with disc wheels and dual sidemounts.

 

175. I was very pleased to get a "Survey of Peerless Cars" letter returned in record time by the JWR Automobile Museum in PA. They have a 1911 Oldsmobile Limited, a 1918 Peerless, & a 1930 Duesenberg, among other significant automobiles.

Edited December 8, 2017 by jeff_a (see edit history)

[jeff_a]

176. I recently found a photo of a camouflaged 1915 Peerless truck in an Indian military-vehicle website. I think it was the 5-ton model with a 5-pdr. antiaircraft gun.

177. Apparently, about 1,599 Peerless Model Eight-67s were built in 1924 and 1925, as opposed to 2,786 '24 and '25 Model Six-70s. The 8-67s replaced the earlier seven series of Peerless Model 56 V-8s and were called "Equipoised Eights".

178. The Model 8-67 was a 1925 model with a 125" wheelbase. Someone in Denmark has one of these, a V-8, 7-P Sedan. It was superseded by the 1926-1928 Model 8-69 with a 133" w.b. Both are CCCA Full Classics.

179. Though founded in 1865, Peerless got into the car business in 1898 building parts for car manufacturing companies De Dion Bouton, White, and Winton, according to an article by Richard Lichtfeld in the Peerless Motor Car Club News Letter.

180. I was reading a 5/08 News Letter editorial by Richard Lichtfeld regarding 1921 when Collins & other ex-Cadillac people took over Peerless. According to RHL's research at the Cleveland Library, the Collins 6 was originally designed by the Cadillac engineering dept, then adopted by Peerless, along with much of Cadillacs ex-management.

181. I was looking at the car-ad publication Autabuy today and noticing that Antique & Classic Enterprises of Tyler, TX is one of only 11 collections in the world to have Peerless, Packard and Pierce-Arrow represented!

182. I recently heard from a Peerless owner in Denmark, Alf Nielsen, that he has a dark blue 1930 Standard Eight Sedan in beautiful condition & that the relatively unknown 1925 Peerless in Denmark is a Model Eight-67 7-Passenger Sedan. One's a Straight-8 and one's a V-8.

Edited March 5, 2012 by jeff_a
I increased the # of collections with all of the 3 Ps. (see edit history)

[jeff_a]

183. The reason I commented on the role of Cadillac in the design of the Peerless 289 cu. in. six in PRF #180 is that some writers have attributed this engine to the Peerless engineering dept and some to Cadillac.  

 

184. The new owner of the 1929 Peerless 6-61 Deluxe Sedan that came from the Ray Hart auction in 2008 is Ryan Brown from Ontario, Canada.

 

185. The new owner of a 1929 Peerless 6-81 Doctor's Coupe is Dennis Mercer of Alberta, Canada. Only confirmed Peerless in the province, although the Reynolds Museum, Ltd. (Wetaskiwin) sold one in the summer of 2009 whose new owner & locale are unknown.

 

186. To any of our readers from Hawaii....I have heard a legend that philanthropist Doris Duke owned a Peerless kept at "Shangri-La", her estate near Honolulu (built 1937, still exists as a private museum). Has anyone heard of it, seen it, know what model, or know what happened to it?

 

187. There is a 1932 Peerless straight-eight sedan in Hawaii. Its owner has dropped in at the Peerless booth at Hershey the last couple of years. Not necessarily connected with the car mentioned above. It's known that there was a Brewster-bodied Peerless at the Duke estate in NJ until 1946.

 

188. Long time Peerless owner Eugene Swantz has sold his 1925 Model Six-72 5-Passenger Touring Phaeton to a new owner in Maine. Not many of these '25 Peerless Phaetons around! Two are known.

 

189. Has anyone ever heard of Richard M. Stewart of Irvington-on-Hudson, NY(1954) and Middlebrook, CT(1962)? He had a significant 1911 Peerless and I'm trying to find out where it went. [Update: I got to see it in person in 2016]

Edited December 8, 2017 by jeff_a (see edit history)