People like to dunk on Smart Cars for their diminutive stature, especially as cars get bigger and bigger each year. However, while Smart Cars are delightfully tiny, there's one car that makes them look positively palatial in comparison. The Peel P50 holds the world record for the world's smallest car.
The Origin Of the P50
At first glance, the Peel P50 looks like an optical illusion. If you saw one in real life, you'd probably have to pinch yourself a couple times to make sure your eyes aren't deceiving you. It looks like a toy car that's been scaled up in size; it looks like half of a regular car.
While the P50 is certainly unique, it's far from the only microcar to hit assembly lines. In fact, it isn't even the only car the Peel Company manufactured. Teeny-tiny cars were sort of their bread and butter.
We'll forgive you if this name doesn't ring a bell. Peel only manufactured a handful of cars over thirty years of operation. The Isle of Man-baxed company went defunct in 1974.
If you aren't familiar with some of the smaller islands that make up the British Isles, the Isle of Man is between England and Ireland; it's approximately the size of Chicago. Though the P50 is billed as a city car, it's much more practical somewhere like the Isle of Man. Not only are there no official speed limits in many rural areas (handy, given that the P50 reaches only 28 MPH), but there are no major highways.
But, enough rambling, let's get into the car itself.
Good Things Come In Small Packages
Phil Parker from Leamington Spa, UK on Wikimedia
Originally made in 1962, the P50 is the ultimate city car, designed the navigate tight spaces. At 54 inches long and 39 inches wide, the P50 has room for "one adult and a shopping bag". With three wheels and one door, some countries legally classify it as a tricycle!
This car is so small that Jeremy Clarkson took one on a leisurely drive through BBC headquarters—literally through. In fact, Clarkson went on to design an even smaller car, the P45, which had four wheels. However, Peel still holds the Guinness World Record for smallest car.
One downside to this car—apart from the fact that there's no passenger seat—is that there isn't a reverse break. But, don't worry, there's a handle at the back that allows you to get out and physically maneuver your vehicle. This is much easier than it sounds as the P50 weighs a mere 130 lbs.
Only 50 P50s were produced, and 27 survive to this day. The Peel P50 was available in Daytona White, Dragon Red, and Dark Blue. It retailed at £199, or $4813 in USD today.
The Future Of The P50
Andrew Bone from Weymouth, England on Wikimedia
Unfortunately, if you want to take one of these mini motorcars home, you'd better have deep pockets. Original models go to auction for upwards of $100,000. Because so few P50s were produced, you're also unlikely to encounter one in the wild unless you're at a museum...or are you?
A new company under the similar name of Peel Engineering Ltd (based in England rather than the Isle of Man) brought back the P50 in 2010!
The new P50s are available in both electric and gas models and come in six snazzy colors. If you have a gearhead in your life, you can order a DIY kit so they can build their own P50. And, if you want a slightly larger car, they have two other microcar models available.
