Eric Minoff
Vice President, Head of Department - US
LOT 74 ¤
1923 Peerless Model 66 Phaeton Chassis no. Car No. F 13 Engine no. 66-F-13
Sold for US$31,360 inc. premiumLot to be sold without reserve
Lot 74¤
From the Minden Automotive Museum
1923 Peerless Model 66 Phaeton
1923 Peerless Model 66 Phaeton
1923 Peerless Model 66 Phaeton
Chassis no. Car No. F 13
Engine no. 66-F-13
Chassis no. Car No. F 13
Engine no. 66-F-13
331.8ci L-Head V-8 Engine
Ball & Ball Updraft Carburetor
70bhp at 2,700rpm
Key Lock 3-Speed Manual Transmission
Live Axles with Semi-Elliptical Leaf Springs
Rear Wheel Contracting Band Mechanical Drum Brakes, Expanding Drum Emergency Brakes
* One of the finest American automobiles of the Twenties
* Handsomely restored and presented
* 70 bhp V-8 power
* Lightweight phaeton coachwork and excellent performance
THE PEERLESS V-8
There are reasons why the triumvirate of quality American cars in the Twenties were known as the "Three Ps". Packard, Pierce-Arrow and Peerless were in Detroit, Buffalo, NY and Cleveland, Ohio and represented the cream of the crop in early American design, engineering, materials and quality manufacture. Each made their own engines and none, in this period adhered to an engine formula.
Packard in 1923 built V-12s and inline sixes. Pierce-Arrow built sixes. Peerless built only the 70 horsepower 332 cubic inch V-8.
There is a lingering impression that V-8 engines were originated by Ford in the Thirties and then proliferated in the Fifties from Oldsmobile, Cadillac, Chrysler and eventually Chevrolet, Studebaker and Pontiac. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth as the cars from the Minden Automobile Museum amply demonstrate. In the Teens and Twenties there were V-8 engines everywhere.
Furthermore, in reading through the specifications of the cars in this auction of the Minden and National Automobile Museum cars it is apparent that, in some combination of bore, stroke and cylinders, 331 cubic inches is a sweet spot. After WWII Chrysler and Cadillac echoed that conclusion with their overhead valve V-8s.
THE CAR OFFERED
This handsome 1923 Peerless Model 66 Phaeton was restored for the Minden Automotive Museum in 1972. It is finished in Royal Blue with black fenders and aprons, black leather upholstery and interior trim and a black cobra grain top.
There are body color wood spoke artillery wheels, a Waltham combination clock/speedometer, Guide-Ray drum headlights, rear-mounted spare, opening windshield, manual windshield wiper and a lovely wood steering wheel. According to the Peerless 1923 catalog the steering wheel was "American walnut rim and spider.
This Peerless has seen little if any use since its restoration. The paint and upholstery are sound and attractive, as are the sharp, clear gauges. The top fits tightly. It is titled by its engine number and with suitable mechanical recommissioning could be in tour-ready condition.
Open the hood at a tour lunch stop and onlookers will begin to think in terms of a '49 Olds or '53 Cadillac: What would a 4-barrel or three 2-barrel carburetors add to its 70 horsepower from 1923? The V-8 fascination continues and these days intake manifolds can be 3D printed.
Footnotes
Titled under its engine number.
Additional information
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| ¤ | No Reserve |
| Unless indicated by the ¤ symbol next to the lot number (or bearing an explicit statement such as "No Reserve" or "Without Reserve"), which denotes no reserve, all lots in the catalog are subject to a reserve. The reserve is the minimum hammer price that the seller is willing to accept for a lot. This amount is confidential and does not exceed the low estimate value. |
