Small smaller smallest; the Peel microcar

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You may have seen Jeremy Clarkson in the TV show Top Gear driving the pride of the Isle of Man, the little Peel P50. He drove it through the BBC building and made the marque even more famous than it already was.

1965 Peel Trident

The successor to the P50 was the Peel Trident. It's still a microcar and is still built in limited numbers. About 90 were made (although some sources say even less) and we have one on the PostWarClassic.com stand at Salon Rétromobile in Paris.

The little red devil is certainly an eye-catcher but, in all honestly, it might also get a red glow on the driver's cheeks when he drives it around.

To get into the car, simply turn the plastic dome forward and get in. Having a passenger with you is possible as it is more spacious than one might think. Starting the 1965 Peel is done by hand kick-start, it has three forward gears and no reverse gear so the passenger has to get out if the car needs to be parked. An even bigger challenge is signalling to turn. You have to open the little gate on the side and stick your arm through to give hand signals.

Makes a change from your Tesla, eh? It weighs just over 100kg and has a small 49cc moped engine. With today's fuel prices, it is also a cheap and economical car to drive (100mpg or 1l/50km). The slogan was ‘Almost cheaper than walking!’, which can still be said today.

Come and see the terrestrial flying saucer for yourself at stand L.095 in Hall 7.3 between 16 and 20 March 2022 at the Salon Rétromobile in Paris.

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