Peel Engineering Company

Posted on April 5, 2013 By Peter Brown Brands, Cars

About

If you browse through pages of the Guinness book of records you’ll find an article on the smallest car in the world. The car we are referring to is the Peel P50. Manufactured first in 1962 until 1965 by Peel Engineering Company, this car looks more like a three-wheel motorcycle than an actual car. Other than this model, Peel Engineering produced Peel Trident and Peel Manxcar very much similar to Peel P50. The specifications of these models are so limited that the rear gear is excluded because you can actually lift and turn the car physically. The smallest car had only one door on the left, one windscreen wiper and only one headlight. By 1963 fifty models of Peel P50 were produced and it is believed that only 27 of them are still in function.

Production of Peel P50 was postponed until 2010 when a replica version of the car was produced by a new company called Peel Engineering Ltd in England. Although the name of the company is almost the same, the new company has nothing to do with the original manufacturer. The model they produced was very similar in design to the original Peel P50. However this model had significant differences in the engine and drive-train characteristics. Instead of the original petrol-driven motor it had electric one. Because of these specifications the smallest car road was labeled illegal for driving and it was only used as a display vehicle. However, in 2011 the company presented the same model but with new petrol and electric motors that made the vehicle legally drivable for the road.

 

Products

Peel Manxcar

Little is known on the first models of the world’s smallest cars that Peel Engineering Company produced in 1955. This was the original predecessor of the Peel P50 and Peel Trident. Later on model’s name was changed into Peel Manxman because a motorbike model had the same name. This model never made it into series production.

Peel P50

The smallest car in the world is 1 372mm long and 1 041 mm wide with a total weight of 59 kg making it so lightweight that you can actually pull the car. From 1962 until 1966 the P50 used a DKW (Dampf-Kraft-Wagen) engine with maximum speed of 60 km/h and a three speed manual transmission. Like we mentioned above, no reverse gear was included. The 2010 production under the management of a new company made changes to the engine. An electric and petrol based engine was introduced making the model available for road drive under the category of three wheel motorcycle.

Peel Trident

Production of this model lasted only 2 years from 1965 until 1967. Different from its predecessor P50, this model had a clear bubble glass top and an option for two seats (by request). It also had a detachable shopping basket as an accessory. Ironically, it was publicly seen as a flying saucer known by the name Saloon Scooter. This car was a little larger that the Peel P50 with dimensions of 1 829 mm in length and 1067 mm in width. Moreover, the same engine was used for this model as for the P50 providing max speed of 38 mph.

 

Video adds

This is the original and only official Peel P50 commercial aired on national TV.

The Peel P50 was also introduced in the famous auto show Top Gear on Dec 5, 2008

 

 

Retailers & On-Line Stores

 Auto Solutions Ltd

Vicarage Rd, IM4 4LA, Isle of Man

+44 1624 670145

autosolutionsltd.co.im

Station Cars Hayes

119 Station Rd, Hayes, Middlesex UB3 4BX, United Kingdom

+44 20 8561 3636

stationcarshayes.com

 Europcar

Arrivals Terminal, Ronaldsway Airport, IM9 2AS, Isle of Man

+44 1624 825855

europcar.co.uk

 Interesting Facts & Events

* The car is so small that you can actually lift it and carry it around. That’s what famous host Jeremy Clarckson did in the presentation of the car in his show

* The car has a shopping cart inside as the main image of the car was to be fast and practical in the city traffic.