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A better world with the Peel P50

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Created on February 16, 2016

Text:

Martina Mäder

Photos:

Grey Keysar - Courtesy RM/Sotheby's

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Darin Schnabel - Courtesy RM Auctions 2012

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Archiv

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Grey Keysar - Courtesy RM/Sotheby's

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Darin Schnabel - Courtesy RM Auctions 2012

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Archiv

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Peel P50 (1964) - makes you laugh

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Peel P50 (1964) - the antithesis of the SUV

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Peel P50 (1964) - as high as it is long

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Peel P50 (1964) - a car for one person

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Peel P50 (1964) - two wheels at the front, one at the rear

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Peel P50 (1964) - a fully-fledged car?

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Peel P50 (1964) - one door is enough

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Peel P50 (1964) - it also works without a speedometer

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Peel P50 (1964) - chairs like from the DIY store

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Peel P50 (1964) - easy access to the cables if something needs to be repaired

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Peel P50 (1964) - Wheels like a toy car

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Peel P50 (1964) - side-hinged rear wheel

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Peel P50 (1964) - side-mounted single-cylinder engine

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Peel P 50 (1962) - light as a feather - can be lifted into a parking space with one hand

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Peel P50 around 1980 - sweeping march! Top 50 km--h, consumption 3 liters per 100 km

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Peel P 50 (1964) - offered at the auction of the Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum by RM Auction on February 15 and 16, 2013

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Peel Trident (1966) - offered at the Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum auction by RM Auction on February 15 and 16, 2013

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Summary

It was a first-class eco-car, the Peel P50. With its low weight, small dimensions and correspondingly economical fuel consumption, the minimal car from the Isle of Man would have had what it took to solve mankind's mobility problems if they had been satisfied with its minimal comfort and moped-like performance. Today, the little car is making a big splash, as the remaining examples are being auctioned for up to 20 times their original price. This report describes the unusual car and shows it in current and historical pictures.

This article contains the following chapters

Peel Engineering Company
Top Gear shows the way
A unique experience, but at what price
The "big" brother
Big prices for a small car
The Peel P50 lives on
A solution to the traffic problems of today and tomorrow?

Estimated reading time: 6min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Back in the 1960s, people on the Isle of Man were already concerned about the rapid increase in traffic in the big cities. In 1962, the Peel Engineering Company found the solution - the Peel P50. The moving meter of fiberglass on three wheels is still considered the smallest vehicle in the world to have gone into series production and proved in a 15-mile test that it took 30 minutes less than a limousine at the time, even with little horsepower. However, the maneuverability also came at a price and many potential customers were put off by the numerous compromises. The Isle of Man is famous for the TT motorcycle races, but the fact that a very unusual piece of automotive history was also written there in the 1960s is thanks to the Peel Engineering Company. The company specialized in GRP bodies for motorcycles, but had already built the first mini car, the Peel Manxcar, in 1955.

Welcome to Zwischengas!

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