A cinematic gem about cars
There are some movies you never forget. Like the appearance of a Peel P50 on “Top Gear” with Jeremy Clarkson behind the wheel. That was 17 years ago, and YouTube has recorded 29 million views since then—someone watches the nearly 9-minute clip every 20 seconds. No supercar can compete with that.
The single-seater Peel P50 from the Isle of Man had a short production run from 1961 to 1963; only about 120 were built. A minimalist model: weighing 60 kilograms, 1.35 meters long, and 99 centimeters wide, with a 50-cubic-centimeter engine, 4 PS, and a top speed of 50 km/h. It has three gears, none for reverse, which is why you have to lift off the gas briefly to turn the Peel around.
Clarkson drives the Peel through London to the BBC, pulls it into the building like a wheeled suitcase, drives through the hallways all the way to the elevator, and, once on the right floor, has to ask a female host to push it out because, as mentioned, there's no reverse gear. The highlight is when he rolls through the background of a live news broadcast.
Clarkson and Top Gear were allowed to do whatever they wanted and, with this brief appearance of the world's smallest production car, created an automotive gem. The Peel was already honored on “Zwischengas” ten years ago. By the way: Peel Engineering Limited still exists and continues to reproduce this tiny car.
