The Peel P50 is a three-wheeled microcar originally manufactured from 1962 to
1965 by the Peel Engineering Company on the Isle of Man. It was listed in the
2010 Guinness Book of Records as the smallest production car ever made. It
has no reverse gear but a handle at the rear allows the very lightweight car to
be physically manoeuvred when required. Designed as a city car, it was
advertised as capable of seating "one adult and a shopping bag". The vehicle's
only door was on its left side and equipment included a single windscreen
wiper and one headlight. Standard colours were Daytona White, Dragon Red,
and Dark Blue. The 1963 model retailed for £199 when new. 50 of them were
produced, and only 27 of them are known to still exist.
In 2010, production of a replica version was started by a newly formed company,
called Peel Engineering Ltd based in England. Externally this car was very
similar to the original but with many major mechanical differences in the
suspension, steering, and drivetrain. Driven by an electric motor and with a
top speed of 16 km/h, this version was produced as a display vehicle and was
not road legal. In 2011 production commenced on new road legal petrol &
electric versions. Most colours from the original are used in the 2010 models
with only Dark Blue being replaced by Capri Blue.
Production is located in Sutton-in-Ashfield, England.
Statistics At 54 in long and 39 in wide and with an
unladen weight of 59 kilograms, the P50 holds the record as the smallest car
ever to go into production. = 1962-66=
The P50 used a 49 cc DKW engine which gave it a top speed of approximately 60
km/h, and was equipped with a three-speed manual transmission that had
no reverse gear. Consequently, turning in a confined area could be achieved
only by pushing, or lifting the car using the handle on the rear and
physically pulling it round. The makers and users claim fuel consumption of 100
mpg-imp. In 1963, as a publicity stunt, A Peel
P50 was taken to the top of Blackpool Tower in the lift and driven around the
observation balcony. At least one prototype, the Peel P55
Saloon Scooter, has also survived. Unlike the production Peel P50, this
prototype used the less stable layout of a single wheel at the front and two at
the back. Approximately 47 Peel P50s were sold at
£199 each. On 15 February 2013 at the Bruce Weiner
RM Auction a genuine 1964 Peel P50 achieved in excess of $120,000 which is
£80,000 at the current exchange rate of 1.51 dollars/pound.
= 2011= In 2011 businessmen Gary Hillman and
Faizal Khan went to the Dragons' Den asking for £80,000. They got the
investment and started a new company which put their revised models into
production. Three replica models were available initially: Gas, Eco, and Fun.
The line was later reduced to two – the Gas and Eco models. The speed is usually
restricted from the factory at 45 km/h by a computerized system, but can be
increased at the buyer's request. Andy Carter has also been building exact
Peel P50 replicas in his Nottinghamshire-based workshops since
the early 1980s. Legal status
The Peel P50 was and is still road-legal in the UK and, being in the
"three-wheeler" category, less than 8 long cwt. The Peel P50 is now also
street-legal in the United States. Cars were exported to other countries,
sometimes being classified as a moped. Appearances in the media
On 28 October 2007, the P50 was featured in a segment of the BBC motoring
programme Top Gear on BBC Two, during which presenter, Jeremy Clarkson,
entered the car and drove through central London to work. Clarkson, who is
6' 5" tall, demonstrated that it is possible for tall people to drive the
smallest car in the world, as accredited by Guinness World Records. The car also
featured in a 2009 episode of The Xtra Factor, in which Holly Willoughby drove
the car into the X Factor studio. A P50 again appeared in a Top Gear episode in
2013 when it was contrasted with the 'P45', a smaller, tongue-in-cheek road
legal vehicle designed and built for the show by students from Coventry
University. See also
Peel Trident References
Ripley's Believe it or Not 2009 Edition, Ripley's Books
External links Peel Engineering Ltd
Peel P50 Factory Movie Peel Cars – photos from the 2005 reunion
in Peel of cars from all round the world