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Six-Figure Three-Wheeler: 1963 Peel P50

052516 Barn Finds - 1963 Peel P50 - 1

Do your legs have an extra knee joint in them? If so, this is the car for you! This 1963 Peel P50 was a limited edition made by Peel Engineering in 2014/2015. is  an original car, as in, it’s not a replica. As such, it’s probably about ten times the cost of what a replica may set you back – This one is listed on eBay for $125,000! I say, it’s listed on eBay for $125,000! It’s also in Germany, but this car would most likely qualify as carry-on luggage so you could fly over and carry it on the plane home with you. (just kidding, of course; you literalists out there) Thanks to John A. for sending in this tip!

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Truth be told, I’m more of a Peel Trident fan, but I wouldn’t turn away a P50. Although, for $125,000 I’m getting 173 shares of Google stock. There are some test cases where Peel P50s have sold for in excess of $100,000 at recent auctions so the $125,000 doesn’t seem unreasonable. I didn’t just say that out loud, did I? You probably know by now that I’m a huge fan of any and all cars, but especially small cars, microcars, and just plain wacky cars and vehicles of all types. But, my idea of a wacky vehicle doesn’t include a $25,000 price tag, let alone a $125,000 price tag. I wonder if the Sultan of Brunei would fit in this thing?..

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Of course, the 800-pound gorilla in the room, literally and figuratively, is that a certain pompous, self-important, overpaid, tv personality from a now-defunct (because of said individual) tv show, drove and/or pulled a Peel P50 through the offices of the BBC. I had to mention it because it will come up in the comments. It would be like showing a Delorean without the term “flux capacitor” showing up, it just won’t ever happen in our lifetimes. I didn’t just say that out loud, did I?

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Peel Manufacturing Co. made the P50 from 1963 to 1965 and they were actually, seriously meant for people to drive on public roads! What an era. The company was based in Peel Village on the Isle of Man in the middle of the Irish Sea between Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom. Here’s one in action on YouTube. And, because this will come up, again; microcars were not made for big, wide, fast American highways and freeways. They were made for villages and for commuting in small towns, not for driving at full speed alongside a Chevy Tahoe in freeway traffic. At one time, and it may be again, the Peel P50 was the world’s smallest car.

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This should be a 49 cc DKW engine with 4.2 hp that would be good for a top speed of 37 mph. They had a 3-speed manual transmission and a “reverse handle“, as in, a handle on the back of the car that you would grab onto and pull it back into your parking spot. The P50 only weighs about 125 pounds! The company only made about 47 of these P50s so that could explain the jump in prices now that most of the other genres have been covered, and coveted. Microcars are pretty hot right now; they’re easy to store and at least some of them are relatively inexpensive compared to muscle cars or sports cars. This price is over the top for me, I’m more in the replica price range for these cars. Are there any other microcar fans out there?

Comments

  1. Avatar redwagon
    • Avatar Salt Man

      Not an original 1960s Peel.

      Like 0
  2. Avatar Bill

    I don’t know if the Smile to dollar ratio is right on this one.. i’ll take a repro. But I have to say it would be fun to pop down the street for a jug of milk (if you had a trailer to carry the milk).

    Like 0
  3. Avatar Dairymen

    That’s a $1000/lbs! I’ve seen strollers bigger than that!

    Like 0
  4. Avatar John K

    Tilt-shift photography is great at making real-life objects seem like little toys. Bu it’s kinda’ redundant to use when photographing a P50

    Like 0
  5. Avatar Dolphin Member

    The current issue of SCM says that a 1964 Peel P50 sold for $176K at the Amelia Island auction on March 12th this year. The report said that only 26 of them remain.

    Like 0
  6. Avatar wynkin

    That engine does not look like a DKW of the period, it looks more like a Japanese 4 stroke engine.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Rick

      It isn’t a DKW engine. It probably is a modern 4 stroke, since this car was built only a few years ago – hence limited edition Peel. Sorry, can’t see the numbers on this one. Costs more than our house!

      Like 0
    • Avatar Steven C

      Engine looks identical to the Honda Z50R i had when i was a little kid.

      Like 0
  7. Avatar ClassicCarFan

    Funny, I was thinking the same about the engine on this one. It looks very much like the ubiquitous small Honda SOHC horizontal single (or even more common these days – a Chinese made copy based of it). I’m guessing a 50cc DKW motor in the early 60s would have been a two-stroke… that’s what DKW were famous for wasn’t it?

    The pricing seems crazy to me too. I understand how the free market works and a car is worth what a buyer is willing to pay for it, but I just fail to see the attraction myself. I can see how a Lamborghini Muira is a highly desirable exotic icon that ends up being worth far more than my house….or a Ferrari 250GTO… or why folks are paying tens of thousands for a good E-type…. but can’t see anything more than quirky novelty value in micro-cars? but, Hey… I guess we’re all different.

    Oh, and Scotty….I totally agree with you about said TV presenter.

    Like 0
  8. Avatar AW240Z

    The only Peel I’d take home is Emma Peel.

    AW

    Like 0
    • Avatar Bill McCoskey Member

      AW240Z — I second that motion! [Or should that be Emotion!] The 2 main reasons I watched the Avengers was for John’s early Bentley cars, and Emma’s skin tight outfits!

      Like 0
  9. Avatar Mike H.

    The seller does say (in the description):

    They made a special, limited edition of just 50 Peel P50 to the 50th birthday of “THE WORLD’S SMALLEST PRODUCTION CAR”.

    This car is one of fifty limited Peels and was built in 2014/2015.

    So no, it isn’t one of the originals, but the seller isn’t saying it is, either.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Scotty G Staff

      Thanks, Mike H!

      Like 0
  10. Avatar Madbrit

    I thought this site was not to include personal attacks yet you seem to have no problem attacking the host of the TV series Top Gear. In fact, he was the major part of Top Gear, without his dry English humor, often making fun of himself and complimented by Hamster and May, it would have been nothing more than another drab car show. It was pure PC that caused all this who-ha that resulted in the show dying. Now if your comments about Jeremy were aimed in a tongue-in-cheek fashion, that’s fine too……. He would probably appreciate them.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Bingo

      Calm down Francis

      Like 0
      • Avatar Joe Howell

        Bingo, I think you mean “Lighten up Francis”.

        Like 0
    • Avatar Scotty G Staff

      My apologies for the tongue-in-cheek, cheeky JC part, Madbrit!

      Like 0
  11. Avatar Madbrit

    Grin……

    Like 0
  12. Avatar TEX260Z

    How yoouu doin?
    Top Gear dead???
    Not according to my TV, it just got worse than what it was for the last couple of seasons.

    Like 0

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