Believe this to be a 6-70 touring car

[A1cnc]

I met a gentleman in Maine that is looking to sell this car. He also mentioned having a peerless  66 for sale as well.

All the parts for the car are supposed to be there. The interior looks to be in great shape and the doors opened/closed perfectly.

 

What kind of price is this car worth in it's current condition?

 

I am new to This forum and prior to meeting this man and seeing this car had not heard of Peerless before. My interests has always been classic muscle cars previously but I am getting interested in the beginning history of automobiles now.

 

Thank you for any info

[jeff_a]

Hi, A1cnc,

Welcome to the AACA Peerless Forum. The Peerless Motor Car Co. has a fascinating story....founded 1865, manufactured laundry equipment, car parts, bicycles, beer, trucks & automobiles(1900-1931). You must have talked to Anthony C. in Maine. Between he and his late father, they have had quite a few Peerlesses pass through their hands. I think it's a 1925 6-72 5-Passenger Touring Phaeton, $2,285 new. It's splitting hairs to say it's a 6-72 instead of a 6-70, because they're the same mechanically. A few body changes in '25, rad shell, hood, mostly. 289 cu. in. six, sometimes called a Collins Six. Bought from Eugene Swantz -- who had it in San Diego for 50 years.

[A1cnc]

You are correct, I did talk to Anthony. He is looking to sell it.

 

Also, Thank you for the info about the Peerless company. You obviously know this car😃

[jeff_a]

There's only one book in print about Peerless. You can find out about it on the AACA Peerless Forum thread "Peerless Research Findings" if you go back to Fall, 2020, Peerless Automobiles In the Brass Era: 1900-1915. 282 pages, hardcover, Alex Cauthen, author. No, parts aren't easy to find, and there's only ONE book you can buy, but think of it as the opposite of a later model collector car, the Corvette. I read that there are 600 books about them, so they continue to have some popularity. Plus, there were 1.5 million made. Only 108,000 Peerlesses were made, we think, and about 367 remain....so they're not at every car show & museum. I'm not against owning Corvettes. I just think enough has been written to find out most everything about them. Peerless cars have a little more mystery to them.

 

It's interesting that of all the models the company made 1900-1932, about 14,000 were built with the 289 "Superb Six" or "Collins Six". The resource for survivors, KPAIE, lists 23 that may still be around of the 4 models. This line of cars first appeared at the NY Auto Show in January, 1924, with slight changes through 1929:

1. 6-70.........1924 and 3 months of 1925 
2. 6-72.........last 9 months of 1925 through 1927
3. 6-90.........1927
4. 6-91.........1928-1929

I'll try to find a catalogue illustration of a 1925 Six-72 Phaeton. The following are close -- one a factory photo from 1925 and the other a car in California -- both appear to be 7-P Touring Phaetons, identical except for fold-out jump seats and wheelbase to the one in Maine. The 2nd has had the top replaced at some point, originals were permanent fabric tops which did not retract, nor were they known to have the two wood top bows visible in the second view.

 

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Edited April 20, 2021 by jeff_a (see edit history)