‘I Use Mine Every Day…’
The world’s smallest production car is Alex’s daily driver!
Meet the man who really does drive a Peel P50 every day.
Iknew I wanted a Peel P50 after seeing Jeremy Clarkson driving one on Top Gear. The problem was, there were only about 30 left so a P50 cost about £15,000 before the show and a lot more afterwards; an original one has since sold at auction for $170,000. Thankfully, it’s since been possible to buy a recreation, either ready-made or as a kit, with an electric motor, a twist-and-go moped engine, or for about £4,000 extra, the original style 49cc DKW two-stroke engine. I really wanted a car with gears and was lucky to find this second-hand self-built-kit car using a 50cc four-stroke engine.
It’s had some issues. The engine was such poor quality that the valves had bent, so I had no power. A friend who’s into motorbikes told me to throw it away, so I bought a 125cc Chinese four-stroke motorbike engine, also fitted to new P50s, which is the same physical size, but has more power.
We had a few teething troubles after that: the engine would die, caused by the tiny fuel line; the stronger clutch broke the cable; and the electrical system could power either the starter motor or the ignition, but not both. It does vibrate a lot, leading to the speedo drive falling apart, and the engine cover falling off somewhere. Thankfully, P50 Cars were able to send me a replacement which is now screwed on with Loctite. Oh, and I wear ear defenders when I drive it, too. This is genuinely my everyday vehicle, used rain or shine, which is why it has battle scars. The new engine is powerful giving a top speed of 45mph. I drive it to work and chain it to something for security. When I come to drive away, I know there will be people watching, so when I pick up the back to turn it around (it has no reverse gear), I hear them laughing.
I love it. The only drawback is that you can’t share the P50 experience as it only has one seat, which is why I’m now looking for a two-seater microcar to join it.
Owner Alex has a handle on P50 ownership.