The Smallest Car In The World - The Peel P50 : Wonderful Little Thing! | Flamboyance GT


Finally I can forget that the word, 'serious' exists in the dictionary before I write about a car. And yes, the word, "car" may not be the first thing that comes to mind when one sees the Peel P50. This little piece of history looks like it may be a little child's dream, more than reality. 

But by no means is this a child's car or a toy. This was conceived by the Peel Engineering Company of Peel, in the west coast of the Isle of Man. And this was in the very early 1960s! It was actually produced from 1962 to 1965, with only 50 or so ever being built. I say "50 or so" because while doing some research, I'm seeing that it says 47 were sold. So I assume the other 3 were prototypes possibly. It also says only 26 are remaining. Rare factor? Check.

In 2010, this was listed in the Guinness World Records as the smallest production car ever. In 2016, one example surfaced at the Sotheby's Auction where it went under the hammer for a whopping $176,000. The official date was the 12th of March, 2016 and here it is. 

Now originally it came with a tiny little 50cc DKW moped engine. There's something important about this. Now DKW seems to have multiple abbreviations. 'Dampf-Kraft-Wagen' (Steam-powered car), 'Deutsche Kinder-Wagen' (German children's car), 'Das-Kleine-Wunder' (The little wonder) and 'Des-Knaben-Wunsch' (The boy's wish). What a versatile name DKW was!

I say "was" because in 1932, DKW was one of the 4 companies that merged to form, 'Auto Union.' This would go on to become the present day 'Audi'! Cool factor? History? Check, and check.

This little champ produced 4.5 Hp, and bolted to a 3 speed manual transmission, it was enough to pull it onto a top speed of 60 Km/h! We all know certain small cars feel way faster than they are actually going. But this is not just a small car, its microscopic. Imagine how it would feel while doing 60. More like 600! And with such a seemingly high centre of gravity and those 3 lovely little wheels, imagine how it would feel taking corners. Fun factor? Check.

When it was launched, it was advertised as having enough space for "One adult and a shopping bag." And yes, it is a single seater. It has a single door at the side. It was built as a city car. Just imagine how awesome it would feel to drive through the city without a worry in the world for traffic, because your car is about just a tiny bit broader than you are while walking! Usually I wouldn't bore you with specific dimension figures, but hear me out. It has a wheelbase of 127 cm, a length of 134 cm, a width of 98 cm and a height of 100 cm. That is unbelievable small for a car. Its just a little bit longer and wider than my writing desk! I can comfortably keep a P50 in my room and drive around too. How funny is that?

By virtue of being designed for a moped, it has no reverse gear. But this isn't as big a deal as you think because the entire car weighs a featherlight 56 Kgs! And they were kind enough to attach a handle to its back, so that when can't go forward anymore or when you're done with your driving, you can just pick it up and wheel it around like a shopping trolley to wherever you want! How many cars are capable of that? And don't get me started on how I imagine the public reactions to this will be. Ferrari? Nice. Lamborghini? Interesting. In comes the Peel P50 and all eyes without missing a beat catch it. Everyone wants to know everything about that. This, and the car's ability to basically fit anywhere was demonstrated brilliantly by Jeremy Clarkson on an episode of Top Gear where he drove a lovely blue P50 through the official BBC Television Centre building at Wood Lane, West London. Wow factor? Check.

So the Peel P50 is rare, cool, has a good deal of historical significance to it, fun and manages to wow everyone. But let me repeat. In 2016, it went for $176,00 at Sotheby's and only 26 remain. So is it something too far off?

Ladies and Gentlemen, I bear good news. In 2010, the brand was revived by Gary Hillman and Faizal Khan. That means it is actually possible to buy one of these new today! They are hand built to order at Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, England.

Here you go : https://p50cars.com/ & https://www.peelengineering.com/

A reborn classic. A real novelty it is. And its possible to get it as a build-it-yourself kit. More enthusiast points for that. The new ones can be had as a convertible too. You can now become a real life Noddy. But instead of having other people 'Make Way' for you, you can make your own way as it just fits through the tightest of spaces. Sometimes less is very much more!

                                                                                                                                 - Abhyjith. K. Ashokan

 Here's the famous video from Top Gear of Jeremy Clarkson driving it through the former BBC HQ :



"Keep The Passion Strong"


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