ROCHELLE

Museum’s mass of minuscule motors makes a million

DINKY DRIVE Peel P50

A COLLECTION of microcars including the smallest one ever made has sold for £1million.

Leading the fleet of 125 little cars was a British Peel P50, the smallest production vehicle ever at 4ft 5in long and 3ft 3in wide. The 1963 model sold for £76,000. A Peel Trident bubble car sold for £59,684 while a Meadows Frisky Sports Coupe made in Wolverhampton in 1961 went for £30,870.

They formed part of a collection of tiny transport amassed by friends Norbert Myles and Erich Schenkel over 40 years.

The petrolheads opened a museum in Austria to keep them in, but they decided to sell up as the lease is about to expire.

Wolfgang Humer, of auctioneers

Dorotheum of Vienna, explained post-war austerity made tiny cars popular across Europe.

He added: “What I like... is you can see the different approaches of German, French and British manufacturers.”