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The Smallest Car of the World : Peel P50
At 54 in (1,372 mm) long and 39 in (991 mm) wide and with an unladen weight of 59 kilograms (130 lb), until 2009 the P50 held the record as the smallest car ever to go into production.
Peel P50 is a three-wheeled microcar originally manufactured from 1962 to 1965 by the Peel Engineering Company on the Isle of Man. Until 2009 it held the record for the smallest automobile to go into production. It has no reverse gear, but a handle at the rear allows the very lightweight car to be physically maneuvered when required.
Designed as a city car, it was advertised as capable of seating "one adult and a shopping bag." The vehicle's only door was on its left side, and equipment included a single windscreen wiper and only one headlight. Standard colours were Daytona White, Dragon Red and Dark Blue. The 1963 model retailed for £199 when new (about £1,400 in 2010, or $2,200 USD). 50 of them were produced, and only 27 of them are known to be still in existence.
In 2010, production of a replica version was started by a newly formed company, called Peel Engineering Ltd based in England (not to be confused with the original Peel Engineering Company from the Isle of Man). Externally this car was very similar to the original but with many major mechanical differences in the suspension, steering and drivetrain. Driven by an electric motor and with a top speed of 16 km/h (10 mph), this version was produced as a display vehicle and was not road legal. In 2011 production commenced on new road legal petrol & electric versions. Most colours from the original are used in the 2010 models with only Dark Blue being replaced by Capri Blue.
Production is located in Sutton-in-Ashfield,England.
On 28 October 2007, the P50 was featured in a segment of the BBC motoring programme Top Gear on BBC Two, during which the presenter, Jeremy Clarkson, entered the car and drove through central London to work. Clarkson, who is 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) tall, demonstrated that it was possible, although difficult, for tall people to get into the P50. Upon arriving at BBC White City, one of the BBC's buildings, he drove past the car parks, between bollards, to the front of the building, after which he pulled the P50 behind him to his office. While showing the car to the production team he said, "I've never seen the Top Gear team so enthusiastic about any car.
He then drove the P50 to BBC Television Centre. When he got there, he drove the P50 through the corridors of the office building, which included the background of BBC News 24 while it was on air, and used a standard passenger lift (elevator) to get to a staged meeting, which he attended inside the P50. At the end of the meeting Clarkson drove out of the building and stated that, if the car had a reverse gear, it would be the "ultimate in personal mobility".[5] The car also featured in a 2009 episode of The Xtra Factor, in which Holly Willoughby drove the car into the X Factor studio. A P50 again appeared in a Top Gear episode in 2013 when it was contrasted with the 'P45', a smaller, tongue-in-cheek road legal vehicle designed and built for the show by students from Coventry University.
(P45)
<b<here is the Top Gear video in which Jeremi Clarkson drove P50. Watch it it's fantastic!The Smallest Car in the World at the BBC - Top Gear - BBC
by TopGear
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peel_P50
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The Smallest Car of The World : Peel P5014 Marzo 2014 |
