I am new to the "Peerless GT - Owners Club", but have been a Triumph fan for a great many years. My quest for a Peerless GT actually started with a desire for a Triumph Italia, however while looking for an Italia (searching for rare Triumphs), I ran across the Peerless GT. What a very neat car and my sites were set to compliment my 1959 Triumph TR3A that I have owned and loved for years. I ran across a few Peerless GT's over the last few years and declined the purchase for a variety of reasons, to rough, to far away, to expensive and so on. But, when I received a call from a super nice guy in California that indicated his Aunt owned one that she would be willing to sell, I was delighted and thrilled. The car has been in storage since 1970 and it had spent a great deal of time previously racing at the Riverside Raceway in Riverside, California. In the pictures he sent, the body looked very good apart from a minor door incident that left its previous owners very deflated. So, I cut "the deal" and the check and flew off to California to inspect my new project and load it on a Transport to Kansas. Wow, was I surprised when I got to California. The car was buried in a garage time capsule, but I was amazed to see that the car was mostly intact although it needs of a full restoration (half the reason I bought it was that I wanted to do the restoration myself - Yes, I'm crazy like the majority of you). With my heart soaring like a teenager with a new drivers license, we loaded the car for transport to Kansas. I opted for an enclosed transport as I imagined one good hail storm on the trip from California to Kansas would cost more than the difference in the transporter fee. The great guys that moved the car said they "never moved a car like this" and described it on the inspection report as "I don't know what to say". It was nestled in the transport with some nice company however: an Aston Martin, a Fisker Karma, a rare Honda pick-up, and ....... a Toyota Camry (the odd car out). As we pushed the car into the transporter, I could feel her pistons leaping for joy, much like my heart. She seemed to be urging me to forgo the restoration, charge the battery, add some petrol and "lets go racing". She seems to have a need to be driven again after her long 46 year slumber. Patience my girl, you'll be back on the road again. The previous owner and I conversed over the e-mail and she indicated that it would be nice to have her car "pretty" again. This is a promise that I shall keep.
Keith Williams
In California
Arriving in Kansas
-- Edited by Keith Williams on Monday 18th of July 2016 04:16:47 PM
-- Edited by Keith Williams on Monday 18th of July 2016 04:19:16 PM
Thank you Erik. It is very complete and missing only the door handles and headlight trim rings. I am guessing a 2-3 year restoration, which probably means 4-5 years.
I would love to see pictures of your car (and others too) for inspiration.