At the turn of the century, the 20th century, Cleveland, OH was one of the major centers of automobile manufacturing. A new firm opened its doors in 1900 with a deal to make manufacture vehicles through a license with the French firm De Dion-Bouton. De-Dion-Bouton was in its 17th year and had initially been successful manufacturing steam powered automobiles and tricycles.
This new U.S. firm, called Peerless, was to focus on more traditional gasoline driven vehicles. By 1902 they began designing and manufacturing their own, original cars. They quickly made a name for themselves and became one of the Three Ps of Motordom. Along with Pierce-Arrow and Packard, Peerless was considered one of the premium automobiles of its time.
Like the other two of those premium manufacturers, the things that made Peerless a success also led to its ultimate downfall. The cars were so well built that people would be able to drive them for a decade or more. While the big Detroit firms were turning out cars that people wanted to "upgrade," Peerless machines would run at a near flawless rate, far outliving most other manufacturer's products.
A lack of repeat customers wasn't the only reason Peerless closed its doors. The company also failed to keep up with changing trends in styling, making even their newer models look out of date. Throw in the Great Depression and people were not buying what they were selling. Peerless shuttered their doors in 1931.
The 1913 Peerless Model 48 shown here is a Concours quality vehicle with an amazing past. It has been called the ultimate barn find. But it wasn't found in a barn. It was actually discovered in a mine in 1966 and had to be removed by helicopter. The La Jolla Mining Company was using its 587 cubic inch T Head six cylinder engine as a main power source for mines conveyor system. Name another car that has done that and perhaps you will have found this vehicle's peer.
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