1927 Peerless Model 6-90

The Peerless Motor Car Company was established in Cleveland, Ohio in 1889, at the time they were known as the Peerless Wringer & Mfg. Company. In 1892 it became known as the Peerless Mfg Company, originally a washing-machine wringers producer. In 1895 the company moved to new facilities and began soon began making bicycles. By the turn of the century, they were making automotive parts, at which time they were renamed the Peerless Motor Car Company.

Their craft was in the luxury car segment, hand-building elegant and stately machines that rivaled all others that traversed the roadway. They were one of the 'Three P's', sharing that title with Packard and Pierce, which were the dominant players that catered to the wealthy in society.

Peerless ran advertising that touted their product as having 'Silence and Comfort, all that the name implies.'

In the post-war recession of the 1920s, Peerless, like many other prominent nameplates of the time, was forced to cater to a wider audience to stimulate sales. They lowered their prices and attempted to promote medium-sized cars. As the 1920s came to a close and followed by the Great Depression of the 1930s, the Peerless Company was forced to close its doors forever. The company went out of business in 1931.

Along with luxurious and elegant vehicles, Peerless is also recognized for many industry 'firsts' including being the first company to successfully use a flyball governor to maintain speeds. They set a 1,000-mile endurance record and the fastest time ever in the Mt. Washington hill climb in New Hampshire. They were the first company to use aluminum in their side-entrance tonneau along with being the first closed formal body in American production.

The Peerless Company was one of the first companies to use electric lighting. They used a Gray & Davis system as early as 1910. In 1913, they upgraded to a single-voltage Gray & Davis system which now included an electric starter.

They were also the first company to adopt what would become the standard of automobile design, a front-mounted engine driving the rear wheels through a solid drive shaft.

Peerless Model 6-90
The Peerless Model Six-90 was powered by a Collins Straight-6 engine displacing 288.6 cubic inches and offering 70 horsepower. The cars rested on a 120-inch wheelbase platform and were available as a roadster, coupe, roadster coupe, sedan, close-coupled sedan, phaeton, and landaulet.

by Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2014