Peel P50, the smallest car in the world, is celebrating its anniversary

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Here comes the smallest car in the world

Collector’s item, record holder, investment: production of the Peel P50 ended 50 years ago. Compared to the Fiat 500, the moving meter is a dwarf. There is now an E version.

S.Already in the 1960s, people started thinking about the flow of traffic in large cities. A tiny car proved that a microcar can save a lot of time on the roads through the congested urban space.

The Peel P50, a moving meter of fiberglass on three wheels, took 30 minutes less than a sedan at the time to complete a 15-mile test drive through London. That alone gave the car dwarf its right to exist, one might think.

But the P50 bought its maneuverability through many compromises that put off customers. The mini-vehicle from the Isle of Man was not granted a resounding success. Only about 50 copies were assembled on the island in the Irish Sea from 1962 according to the Peel Microcar Register. The manufacturer’s records are considered lost. The last P50 is said to have been manufactured 50 years ago, at the end of December 1964.

Weighing only 60 kilos

To date, the Peel P50 is one of the most bizarre cars. It is considered to be the smallest mass-produced car in the world. Next to him, minis like the old Fiat 500 appear as giants. In 2010 he received an entry in the "Guinness Book of Records".

The designers Cyril Cannell and Henry Kissack caused a sensation in 1962 when they presented the wheeled miniature at the Earls Court Motorcycle Show in London. There the visitors gathered around a 1.37 meter long car that was just 1.04 meters wide.

This is how tiny a muscle car can be

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The Sunbeam Tiger was the muscle car version of the Sunbeam Alpine.

Source: RM Auctions

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The Tiger was produced from 1964 to 1967.

Source: RM Auctions

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Over 7000 cars were produced in three series.

Source: RM Auctions

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It has a large trunk …

Source: RM Auctions

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… and an eight cylinder engine …

Source: RM Auctions

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… with a displacement of at least 4.3 liters.

Source: RM Auctions

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With its classic leather seats …

Source: RM Auctions

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… the no-frills round instruments …

Source: RM Auctions

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… the dynamic stripes …

Source: RM Auctions

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… side labels …

Source: RM Auctions

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… the distinctive but narrow grille …

Source: RM Auctions

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… and the angular stern …

Source: RM Auctions

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… it is still a popular sports car today.

Source: RM Auctions

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The headlights are an eye-catcher.

Source: RM Auctions

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Two works cars from the Rootes Group also competed in the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1964.

Source: RM Auctions

It offered space for one person and a shopping bag, as the advertising promised, and had a handle with which the 60-kilo plastic structure could be lifted and moved by hand in the parking space. Because the manufacturer Peel Engineering Company had not planned a reverse gear.

4.2 HP from a DKW engine got the Peel P50 going, with a maximum speed of over 60 km / h. Its tank held eight liters of 1:25 mixture, the consumption was 2.8 liters. In 1965, the one-man car was joined by the two-seater Trident variant, weighing 90 kilos and almost half a meter longer. A glass dome, reminiscent of a cheese dome, descended over the heads of the inmates. According to the Peel Register, around 80 pieces of the Trident were made by 1966.

Replicas as e-mobiles

At that time, the tiny automobile was on the price list at 199 pounds, the equivalent of 2200 D-Marks, not a stick. Today the examples that still exist experience a sharp increase in value. Just under a year ago, an original from 1964 fetched $ 120,000 at auction, twice as much as an Isetta three years older and six times more than a Messerschmitt cabin scooter from 1953.

When barn finds are kissed awake

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Open an old barn and find an automotive treasure in it – that’s probably what every classic car lover dreams of. This barn hides, for example, Opel Rekord, model year…age 58.

Source: Michael von Klodt

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On the outside there is a thick layer of dust on the well-preserved Opel, but inside the painted sheet metal of the dashboard shines. Behind the sun visor there are still notes from d…he time before the car disappeared in the shed for decades.

Source: Michael von Klodt

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Sigvard Nyling (left), the owner of the car, and his nephew Lennart also discover old cards and papers in the trunk.

Source: Michael von Klodt

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Andreas Jaldeback is familiar with barn finds and other old cars. For almost 30 years he has been trading European vintage and youngtimers in a suburb of Malmo.

Source: Michael von Klodt

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In Sweden, however, vintage cars are also often offered for sale by private individuals. Alain Steegmans, for example, offers his Renault 4CV on the lawn in his front yard… on.

Source: Michael von Klodt

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For the cream sandwich, which has not yet reached 100,000 kilometers on the speedometer, he charges around 3,100 euros.

Source: Michael von Klodt

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Germans often come to Sweden by trailer to take home with them in well-preserved vintage cars. However, they are not too popular in Scandinavia because they are supposed to be…h ruin the prices

Source: Michael von Klodt

The replicas with more modern technology, which the two entrepreneurs since 2011 under the umbrella of the newly founded Peel Engineering Ltd., are cheaper. to offer. For 13,299 pounds (around 17,000 euros) plus tax, they offer both versions with a moped engine. There is also an electric version now (12,799 pounds / 16,400 euros). It comes to 50 km / h and a range of 24 kilometers.

Because the British regulations are based on those of the EU, the approval in the rest of Europe should not be a problem, said a company spokesman: "We sell worldwide". Mainly collectors strike who cannot get an original.

In 1963 the tiny guy still needed a PR campaign for which no more money would have to be wasted today. A P50 was allowed to ride into the elevator of the steel lattice tower in Blackpool and do its laps on the observation deck. No normal car could have done that either.

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