Page 1 of 12
The History of the Peerless Automobile CompanyIntroduction
Writing the history of the Peerless Motor Car Company has been a lengthy process. What has made it difficult is the fact that the company records have been lost. I have been gathering Peerless information for over fifty years and have even had the opportunity to talk to Peerless dealers and original Peerless owners. There have been several stories written about some Peerless models and even a few brief histories but most are not fully accurate and leave much out.
I have had my 1916 Peerless since 1952 and I have heard many conflicting stories about the Peerless Company over the years. I felt that it was about time someone wrote an accurate and complete history of the Peerless Motor Car and the company that produced them.
I have gathered my information from Peerless publications “ The Green Dragon” and “The Co-Operator”. I also have an extensive collection of Peerless ads and manuals and have spent days at the Cleveland Public Library, Cleveland News Paper office, the Western Reserve Historical Library, Detroit Automobile Library, and the AACA Library. I have also gone through automobile trade publications and stock reports. I have now put it together.
Some of the models and years are confusing because some of these changes came in mid-year. I have made note of this in the listings. The prices I have used are factory suggested list prices, however some dealers have advertised different prices at times for the same model.
I am sure there is more information about the Peerless Company but this is all I have been able to find. It would be nice if we had the company records.
