1958 PEERLESS LE MANS
Would you part with a former Le Mans 24 Hours racer? No, nor would we…
‘To own a car that actually raced at Le Mans is pretty special, and this one took part in the 1958 race, although there was a bit of controversy about the result. The very wet conditions meant that it didn’t cover the full distance, so it was officially classified as a non-finisher, but I prefer to think of it as having finished 16th overall!
‘I’ve had it since the late 1970s and it came about through contacting the small club for Peerless cars. I’d owned a
Phase 2 before so I got in touch with them, and it turned out that the then-owner, Roy
Nolan, had tried selling this one, but
without much success. He hung onto it but I got a call a few years later offering it to me for nothing. He just wanted to see it re-built and used again, but a small sum did change hands. At least he got to drive the car when it was finally finished, and I’m still in touch with his son who has a Peerless Warwick, so it’s been really nice to maintain that link.
‘Mind you, it was in a bad way when I got it and needed
a complete restoration. The space-frame chassis was badly corroded, the glassfibre bodywork needed various repairs, and the mechanicals had to be overhauled. Also, the original nose cone had gone missing sometime in the 1960s, although I managed to source one that was similar.
‘The hardest part of the whole restoration was replacing parts because some of them were unique to the car. That and repairing the bodywork, so there were plenty of challenges before I got it back on the road in around 1980.
‘I’ve tried to keep it as original as possible over the years, so I’ve only made small changes, like fitting an electric fan. It also got a re-spray in 2000, but since then I’ve used it as much as possible, taking part in lots of events and shows and trips to Europe.
‘I’ve not had any major problems and just fix stuff as it comes along. Although it could probably do with another re-paint I prefer to just get out and drive it, so I’m not too bothered about that.
‘I’m just really enjoying owning a unique competition car and a special part of the Peerless story, although it’s not an easy car to get in or out of at my age! I never say never, but I can’t see me getting rid of it for a while yet.’
ENGINE 1991cc/4-cyl/OHV POWER 101bhp@5000rpm TORQUE 118lb ft@3000rpm MAXIMUM SPEED 117mph 0-60MPH 11.3sec FUEL CONSUMPTION 20-25mpg GEARBOX RWD, four-speed manual plus overdrive