Peel

Peel Engineering Ltd. was a company that produced boats and cars, among other things, and was based on the Isle of Man. Cars were built between 1962 and 1965, and it is the only car brand the Isle of Man has ever produced. It is also the name of a coastal town on the island.

In 2007, the Peel P50 was tested on the program Top Gear, where it was revealed that the so-called “London congestion charge” had to be paid for the P50 (notably the smallest car in the world), whereas this was not required for the film car, a relatively large and heavy – but hybrid – Lexus RX450h. Furthermore, presenter Jeremy Clarkson drove through the BBC building, even taking the elevator, and appeared on screen during the BBC News, while the presenters were unaware of this.

Peel p50

Peel P50 microcar

The P50 was a British microcar. It was the first car the brand built. The 1963 model was only 134 cm long, 99 cm wide, and 120 cm high, and weighed just 59 kilograms. This makes it to this day the smallest production car in the world. The power source was a 49cc DKW moped engine that allowed it to reach a top speed of 61 km/h. However, this was accompanied by instability and a lot of noise. The P50 had no reverse gear, so one had to get out and use a lever to lift the vehicle and turn it around. The model was not a great success; approximately 47 units were built before being succeeded by the Peel Trident.

Peel Trident

The successor to the P50, the Trident, was still powered by a DKW moped engine. Top speed was now around 75 km/h and the model had grown slightly. Length was now 183 cm, width 107 cm, and weight 90 kilos. Only 87 were built. Some models are equipped with a Triumph 100cc motorcycle engine as the power source.

Peel Trident