Oct 7, 2018 • Uncategorized •

You’ve probably seen the Top Gear segment where Jeremy Clarkson drives a Peel P50 around the streets of London and inside the offices of the BBC. This exposure helped elevate this obscure microcar into the public eye alongside Messerschmitt and Isetta bubble cars. You can add a 1964 Peel P50 to your collection with this one listed on Hemmings in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada for $75,000.00 OBO.

The seller says that the car came into his family through his father who bought it on a whim from a ship supply store where it had been traded for refrigeration equipment by a Russian fishing vessel. It sounds like the family used it as a kiddie car, eventually cutting the roof off to permit taller drivers to buzz around the neighborhood. He further says that it has not been driven since 2002.

Peel Engineering Company on the Isle of Man designed and built the three-wheeled P50 along with their marine and motorcycle fiberglass specialties in 1963 and 1964. They were powered by a 49cc single cylinder DKW air cooled engine putting out a bit over four horsepower. Power was sent to the rear wheel via a three speed transmission with no reverse gear. Top speed was quoted as 38 miles per hour.

The P50 for sale here is described as a project vehicle that is missing items such as the sliding side windows and door frames, but the engine is said to turn over freely. The seller claims that a list of replacement parts was made and sourced from the UK prior to the passing of the gentleman who owned it. Peel Engineering, Limited in the UK is manufacturing a modernized version of the P50 and would likely be the only source of parts unique to the classic P50.

The $75,000.00 asking price seems to be based on the fact that one was recently sold by Sotheby’s at their Amelia Island auction for an astounding $176,000.00. The seller also claims that their P50 was not known to the collector world and theirs brings the total known to exist to 27. If one of our Barn Finds readers flies out to buy this car, they may be able to bring it back as checked luggage.