Estimated Price: £40,000 - £60,000
The Guinness Book of Records is not a publication that we often quote in our vehicle descriptions, however, the Peel P50 has been officially recognised by that august body as the 'World's Smallest Production Car'.
From its harbourside base in the town of Peel on the Isle of Man, the Peel Engineering Company was a GRP specialist producing boats and motorcycle fairings for the likes of Norton and BMW. Dreamed up by the company's founder, Cyril Cannell, the P50 was designed as a 40mph city car for 'one adult and a shopping bag' and was unveiled at the 1962 Earl's Court Cycle and Motorcycle Show with one wheel at the front and two at the rear. This layout was soon switched and with a 49cc two-stroke Zweirad Union/DKW engine driving the rear wheel through a three-speed manual gearbox, the production model was launched in 1963. There is no reverse gear, the required change of direction being enabled by a handle at the rear which lets the driver lift the tail and swing the car round by hand. Top speed was around 38mph, with fuel economy approaching 100mpg (advertised in period as "almost cheaper than walking" and "car comfort at moped cost"). Around fifty were built between 1962 and 1965 and fewer than thirty are thought to survive today.
This example, chassis #D538, was imported into Finland in 1964 by Hankintatoimitus HAT Ltd. of Turku, and the surviving paperwork describes its arrival with unusual clarity. The authorities classed the little Peel as a motorcycle, and the Helsinki inspector objected that it carried only one headlamp. HAT appealed to the Ministry of Transport and Public Works, which ruled on 11 May 1964 that a single combined main and dipped beam would be acceptable, provided the parking lights always operated alongside it. With drawings of the silencer supplied, Type Inspection Certificate no. 94016 followed in Helsinki on 25 May 1964, together with a short list of items to be rectified before registration.
The car later passed from a Mr Ruohomäki to Mr Kesti, remaining in his care until his passing and subsequently retained by his family until now. Then working at sea as a ship’s chief engineer, a handwritten and witnessed transfer certificate shows Mr Kesti paying 500 markka. In May 1986, the Peel travelled by rail from Naantali to his home in Kerava. It was subsequently loaned to the Finnish Miniature Car Association at Järvenpää, where it was known to be the only P50 in the country.
Used sparingly at club events, it asked for little attention beyond a repair to a door. A letter dated October 1993, from the Register of Unusual Micro Cars adds a footnote of its own as their records at the time included P50 Frame Numbers running from #501 to #542, with #538 absent, so the car arrived as a welcome new name for the list.
Finished in olive green, the Peel is presented in unrestored and highly original condition wearing its years proudly. Recently repatriated to the UK from Finland, it resides here UK on the basis of 'Temporary Admission' and consequently if it remains in the UK, taxes at 5% will be due.
Offered with its file of Finnish documents and ripe for a complete restoration, few Peel P50s can tell their story as well as this one and we welcome and encourage your early inspection.
- Body TypesOther
- Transmission
- Exterior ColourOther
- Interior Colour
