VETERAN CAR GUIDE
following year . More power was available for 1903 , when three four-cylinder options were available with power outputs of 24hp , 35hp and 60hp ( known respectively as Types 8 , 7 and 12 ). 1903 cars had channel-section steel frames dropped in the centre to give a lower centre of gravity .
1902 Pierce .
with cross strips of Ash bolted on to form a platform . Front springs were single leaf quarter elliptic , there were no rear springs , and the vehicle was started by pulling a leather strap . In late 1903 , a new model had full elliptic front springs , rear coil springs , a twospeed transmission , and crank starting . It apparently remained in production until 1907 . More conventional cars were also produced from 1905 .
Panhard et Levassor René Panhard met Emile Levassor as a student , and by 1872 they were working together . The factory in Paris produced a batch of four identical cars in 1891 , 15 in 1892 , 37 in 1893 and 41 in 1894 . This made Panhard et Levassor the world ’ s first marque of car in continuous production . Following Levassor ’ s early death in 1897 , Arthur Constantin Krebs joined the company as technical director and set about developing a new range of vehicles with balanced four-cylinder engines , raked steering columns , front-mounted radiators , improved carburettors , and a coil and battery ignition system . In 1899 Panhard introduced the A1 / A2 models fitted with Phénix engine of 4hp ( 1,201cc ) or 6hp ( 1,648 cc ). Initially these cars had larger rear wheels but by 1901 equal-sized wheels were available . In 1902 the new Centaure engine of the same size was introduced and designated the model A ( still with the two sizes of engine ). In 1903 , the Centaure S-series , with 10hp , 15hp , 18hp , 24hp , and 35hp output options , was offered with Eisemann magneto ignition and t-head construction with mechanical inlet valves .
Peerless Located in Cleveland , Ohio , the company launched the Peerless Motorette in 1901 with a choice of 2.75hp or 3.5hp De Dion Bouton engines . It was ill-suited to the rough American roads , leading to the design of a 12 / 16hp vertical twin cylinder-powered car the
Peugeot Armand Peugeot , a successful cycle manufacturer , started experimenting with prototype motor cars in the late 1880s . Following contact with Gottlieb Daimler and Emile Levassor , he agreed to make cars with a Daimler concept engine made by Panhard et Levassor under licence . Throughout 1891 new versions were tested : each had rear-mounted V-twin engines and chain drive , tubular steel frames and tiller steering . By 1895 , Peugeot had completed his testing and he decided to make his own engines . Tiring of the inertia of the family firm , he started SA des Automobiles Peugeot at Audincourt in 1897 , then moved to Paris in 1900 , hiring Louis Delage to run his drawing office in 1902 . In the same year , Peugeot adopted front-mounted engines for all models but there was still a mixture of chain and shaft drive . The most popular Peugeot was the 652cc 5hp Type 54 , and the biggest machine was the 18hp 3635cc Type 42 .
Phoenix There are several marques known as Phoenix . The most well-known made a tricycle called Pheonix Trimo , powered by a Minerva engine .
Pierce George Norman Pierce was a successful businessman in Buffalo , New York , USA , who made a range of domestic goods and bicycles . Towards the end of 1901 , he produced a batch of 25 Pierce Motorettes ( called the Knockabout ) with 2.75 single cylinder De Dion Bouton engines . The design was by an Englishman named David Fergusson who also created the Runabout in 1902 , equipped with a 3.5hp De Dion Bouton engine . This was followed by a 5hp model whose engine was locally made in Detroit . Engines of 6.5hp and 8hp output quickly followed , and production continued until 1906 .
Pope-Toledo One of Colonel Pope ’ s enterprises was the International Bicycle Company in Toledo , Ohio , USA . It made two models of petrol-driven cars in 1904 , a 14hp twin-cylinder and a 24hp four-cylinder . The latter vehicle won many races on the west coast of America , winning for itself the accolade ‘ The Mile a Minute Car ’. A Pope Toledo finished third in the 1904 Vanderbilt Cup ; the country ’ s most important race at the time .
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