Tiny car goes on a giant road trip
A vintage vehicle enthusiast from Wivelsfield is set to travel the length of the UK in the world’s smallest car.
Alex Orchin, of Allwood Crescent, will drive his Peel P50 from John o’ Groats to Lands’ End to raise £2,000 for Children in Need.
Alex, 31, believes he is the first Peel P50 driver to take on this challenge and starts on Saturday (November 13).
“The car itself doesn’t go much above 35mph because it’s so tiny,” said Alex, adding that his trip will be spread out over two weeks.
“I want to stop, I want to busk and I want to talk to people,” he said, adding that he will play his Highland bagpipes in towns on the route to raise further funds.
He will have his P50 next to him, as well as a large poster to explain his fundraising mission.
Alex said he purchased the little car five years ago from a fellow enthusiast who built it from a kit.
“I enjoy driving it so much and it makes people of all ages really happy,” said Alex.
“When they see it they laugh, they point, they take pictures, they ask questions, they absolutely adore it.”
Alex has always had a passion for classic or unusual vehicles and has worked with them for about ten years.
He has been a gardener using vintage machinery and he also lives part time in a converted 1955 Renault Goélette. His YouTube channel is called Forward to the Past and he currently works with P50 Cars, which provides kits to replicate the classic 1960s microcar.
Alex said that the biggest challenge of his charity trip will be his ‘physical capabilities’.
“I’ve got all faith in the car mechanically,” he said. “But when you’re driving your knees are either side of the steering wheel, you’re basically sitting on the floor.”
“To date, the longest I’ve ever driven it in one go is about an hour and a half and I felt a bit stiff,” Alex said.
Visit www.gofundme.com and search for ‘Alex Orchin’.
Read more about the journey at midsussextimes.co.uk