Please help identify

[Guest Ivana]

Hi All,

I am writing from the Czech Republic on behalf of a friend who has acquired a Peerless. He plans to restore it to its original condition. Since he is unable to trace the car´s original documentation, he is unable to find out which model/year his Peerless is of.

His car is said to have been built in 1927-28, it is a 2 door coupe with a rumble seat in the rear of the car, with the fifth wheel (on side of the car), no boattail, wood felloe wheels.

He has a plate where the motor number :11E - 5147 is written and he also has the Chassis No.: 5987.

I would like to ask if anybody can help us identify this vehicle.

Thanks a lot.

Awaiting your replies!

Ivana <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

[jeff_a]

Dear Ivana,

Thank you VERY much for writing about your friend's Peerless. I'll try to answer some of your questions. If you go to the Peerless Forum post "How to Identify your Peerless Serial number and Motor number" by PeerlessBelgium, it suggests this could be a Model 6-61 built in 1928 and 1929 for the 1929 Model Year. The prefix 11E suggests a Model 6-61 --- with a range of Ser Nos. from 11E 5200 to 11E 13297.

Peerless was an interesting carmaker. All of their cars were expensive, except for 4 years of medium-priced models offered from 1926-1929 [even these were offered as alternatives to more expensive V-8 and straight-8 Peerlesses]. About 107,000 cars were sold between 1900-1932, making for an average production of only about 3,800 per year.

I have been working on a list of all Peerlesses that still exist worldwide, and now have 303 listed, counting your friend's auto. Since my list has vehicles not well documented, and some cars listed more than once, and since there are a certain number of cars out there that no one knows about...I would estimate that there may be 250 to 500 surviving Peerless cars and trucks worldwide.

Since you are new to the AACA Forums, please look at the Peerless Forum, found farther down on the list of about 90 AACA forums (Gen. Discussion, Buick, Oldsmobile, Dodge, Ford, Stutz, etc,) . There are more than 500 messages relating to Peerless there.

Thank you,

----Jeff

Edited September 7, 2010 by jeff_a (see edit history)

[jeff_a]

Hello Ivana,

If this Peerless in the Czech Republic is a 1927 or 1928 -- it probably is a Model 6-60, 6-80, 6-90, 6-72, or 8-69. If it is a 1929, it could be a 6-61, 6-81, 6-91, or 8-125. If the Peerless is a 1929 6-61, it has a Continental 214.7 cu. in. (3.518 L) motor with 62 h.p. If it were a 1929 6-81, it would have an engine prefix of 18C, 248 cu. in. (4.069 L), 66 h.p., and vertical hood louvers.

If it's a 1929 6-61 -- the hood louvers would be horizontal.

If your friend has a 1927-28 6-60, it would be a 199.1 cu. in. motor, have vertical hood louvers and a different engine prefix [ 10E 1-5754 or 11E 101-1000 ], to the best of my knowledge.

----Jeff

Edited September 1, 2010 by jeff_a
Additional info (see edit history)

[jeff_a]

Dear Ivana,

In trying to identify your friend's Peerless, I should have added that the model-year-change didn't happen at the start of each year. Just as I was able to drive a 2010 Chevrolet Camaro in March, 2009, Peerless would introduce their next year's line of cars as early as November or August. This can be confusing at times.

The Peerless Model 6-61 was probably available in 1928 (July, August, September?). I think there were genuine 1928 Model 6-91's, too (I saw an ad for a 6-91 published in May, 1928).

Maybe you can translate this for me, which I found years ago in a Czech magazine:

"Dedecek Peerless 1930

Popsat, ci vyfotografovat vsechny vozy by bylo pro jednoho cloveka nadlidskym ukolem. Vybral jsem si proto nejstarsiho ucastnika a automobil, ktery se mi nejvice libil." ----Jeff

Edited September 1, 2010 by jeff_a (see edit history)

[Guest Ivana]

Dear Jeff,

Hope you will get this one as I have had some problems with this forum recently. Yesterday, I sent an email to the other address peer4less@yahoo.com

Jeff, thank you very much for all you are doing in helping us identify the car.

I´m also doing my best to find at least some info that could help the owner here.

I do appreciate your invaluable help.

Regarding that translation you asked me for, it could be as follows:

"Vintage Car Peerless 1930

It would be a gigantic task for one man to describe or take a photo of all the cars. Therefore, I have chosen the oldest participant and the car I liked most." <!-- google_ad_section_end -->

Ivana

[Guest windjamer]

Ivana, can you post a picture of your friends car?

[Guest Ivana]

Unfortunately not, the car is dissassembled. But he sent me a picture of a Peerless, saying that the car he owns could be similar to one in the picture EXCEPT the rear part- his car has a rumble seat and no "boat tail" (I would prefer if he himself could provide all this information to you, guys, but unfortunately he does not speak English). I have also taken a picture of a plate with the engine no. stamped on and another plate which was in the car.

I attach all three picture herewith.

Thanks in advance.

Any help is much appreciated.

Ivana

Peerless.pdf

[jeff_a]

Hi Ivana,

It took me 4 days, but I finally figured out that you posted a 3rd photo & how to open it [the highlighted area].

Thanks for sending that! The third picture is of a 1928 Peerless Model 6-80 Roadster Coupe. I think it's the same car described in a 1973 Automobile Quarterly with a chapter about Peerless Maurice Hendry wrote. That issue of AQ (Vol. 11, No. 1) has one of the best descriptions of the Peerless Company out there. By coincidence, I have a 1928 Mod. 6-80 Roadster Coupe much like the one in the photo.

Edited September 30, 2010 by jeff_a (see edit history)