The 1927 Peerless Model 6–90 Is a Forgotten Pre-WWII Luxury Rig

Yes, both Cadillac and Lincoln had already made a name for themselves by the mid-1920s, but the market was pretty crowded with established carmakers like Packard, Pierce-Arrow, Cord, Duesenberg, and Stutz building some of the finest luxury vehicles of the era. Packard and Pierce-Arrow were also part of the "Three Ps," which also included Peerless, one of the least celebrated companies from the era.

Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Peerless began making cars in 1900. Unlike Cadillac and Lincoln, it remained independent and experienced a rapid expansion until the early 1910s, when it started focusing on luxury cars. In 1915, Peerless introduced its first V8 engine, only one year after Cadillac. It remained at the core of its product lineup until 1925.

Unfortunately, just like Pierce-Arrow, Cord, and Duesenberg, Peerless suffered greatly during the Great Depression. And despite numerous cost-saving strategies, the Cleveland-based firm couldn't recover and closed shop in 1931. The company remained idle until the end of Prohibition in 1933 and moved into the beer-making business.

Come 2023, very few car enthusiasts remember Peerless. That's unsurprising given that the brand disappeared almost 100 years ago as of 2023. The fact that only a few of them are still around doesn't help either. I don't know about you, but I've never seen one in the metal. And that's why I got all excited when YouTube's "Matt Gause" spotted a Peerless at a local car show.

A 1927 Model 6-90, this gorgeous four-door is obviously the result of a restoration, but it's still highly original as far as the bodywork and the interior go. It's finished in a two-tone paint scheme that was quite common in the 1920s, while the cabin shows why these cars were expensive yet desirable. Make sure you check out the enormous rear-seat legroom.

However, this Peerless is not 100% original under the hood. There's not a lot of info to run by, but it seems that the straight-six engine got a few upgrades, including new headers and a Holley carburetor. Displacing 288 cubic inches (4.7 liters), the stock inline-six was good for 70 horsepower from the factory, but this modified version probably delivers more than 100 horses. And according to our host, it also "sounds awesome."

Sadly, the footage doesn't show the Peerless running, but it's still a cool walk around of a car most of us will never see on public roads. Hit the play button below to check it out.

Fun fact: Peerless was one of the first car companies to introduce electric lighting and drum brakes on its vehicles. It was also among the first to build enclosed-body production cars.