Peel P50: World’s Smallest Car

The Peel P50 was released in 1962 and 1965 by the British Peel Manufacturing Company. It was released in an ill fated micro car class and cost only $400 US at the time. Currently the smallest car available for the North American market is the Smart Car by Mercedes-Benz.

Peel P50 1965 - Image by mrflip

But what the recent popularity of the Smart car has shown is that there is a potential market for the micro cars again. I’m definitely not saying that we should all go out and by a micro car. I don’t think they are safe on the roads with SUV’s, Trucks and Hummers. But however small it might be, there are people out there who are looking for a economical way of getting around.

The Peel P50 was officially entered into the Guinness Book of World Records for being the smallest production car ever. And until you see actual footage of this car it’s hard to imagine how small this actually is.

It was powered by a tiny 49cc engine which is about the size of a moped motor. The car was only able to reach top speeds of 38mph. However, if you are mad about the environment you’ll love that the car was able to get 100mpg. That’s almost four times better than most cars today. Granted though that only one person could fit into the car.

Check out the video of BBC’s Top Gear featuring the car.

Image: mrflip