Best Car for a 350-Lb, 6'2" Powerlifter? A 41-In Wide, 54-In Long Electric Microcar

Eddie Hall is a popular YouTuber who creates funny social media content for the sheer fun of it. Probably one of his best-known antics is buying a tank (granted, a light tank, but a tank in its own right) and driving it through the streets of England – legally! – to see what it can or cannot do. But a tank is appropriate for a gentleman of his stature (Eddie is around 350 lbs – 160 kg of deadlifting muscle) and 6’2” – 188 cm.

In his traditional way of doing things against the mainstream norm, Eddie bought and drove a small car. If you think a Morris Mini or the original FIAT 500 is tiny, think again; those automobiles are downright luxo-barges compared to the smallest car in the world. That title goes to the Peel P50.

Unfortunately, one original example of the three-wheeled automobile would cost around £100,000 (around $126,000 at the time of this story), and few are available. With less than 30 examples roaming the Earth, the price for one of these toy-sized cars can hit or exceed $170,000). Fortunately, there’s a more affordable alternative. A modern-day tribute car built to the exact dimensions and mechanical specifications of the original P50.

The company that makes these replicas is called P50CARS, and they build exact duplicates of the original key-chain-ornament-sized Peel P50. They add a touch of modernity by installing electric drivetrains as an option. A 49cc combustion engine is also offered, but the cherry on this cake is that the maker can install an original 1960 DKW engine in their cars.

That doesn’t come cheap, though just four such cars can be made due to the availability (or lack thereof) of the 49 cc DKW engine. Ant the build price for one gets to £33,673 (over $42,500). The more affordable variant is the electric E.50, which has a base price of around £15,000 / $19,000. You don’t get much car for the money, that’s for sure. Quite the opposite – roughly 104 kg / 230 lbs.

The manufacturer doesn’t share the car's specs other than its top speed – 35 mph / 56 kph – and the disc brakes. Play the second video below and see the vehicle spec'd out down to its small details (yep, pun unavoidable). Fifty-four inches long and 41 wide (135 cm x 104 cm), the E.50 is 47 inches tall (120 cm). The electric DC motor produces around 3.3 kW (4.5 hp).

The car only has one door and no cargo space – it doesn’t have room for a driver the size of the World’s Strongest Man, let alone for personal belongings. The seat is merely a cloth stretched across a metal frame – and that’s all the creature comfort the driver gets. Well, that and an electric windshield wiper.

Getting in that car is claustrophobic and would probably make one consider taking yoga classes. And yet, incredibly, the whole of Eddie Hall fits inside the cockpit – eventually, and barely. From there on, driving is as easy as A-B-C-D-E.50.

There’s no need for any instrumentation – or anything else except the steering wheel, turn signal lever, and horn. And the two pedals – accelerator and brake –make this tin-can on wheels move or stop. Despite its parsimonious volumes, the car isn’t small enough to fit through a standard McDonald’s front door, so the initial plan of going for a burger in the vehicle is abandoned.

Play the first video to see Eddie Hall attempt to enter two different fast-foods – but to no avail. The door frame is too narrow. However, a bookstore is more driver-friendly, and the big guy with the miniature P50 replica can buy some books and toys for his kids. Thrilled by this success, the World’s Strongest Man makes a detour to the arcades – driving inside, mind you – and leaves with a giant teddy bear.

Luckily, the stuffed toy is highly compressible and fits inside the cabin – somehow. The good news is that the car makes it back to Eddie’s house in one trip without stopping by a charger. I don’t know the exact distance the car traveled, and the manufacturer says nothing about the battery pack or the range of the P50CARS E.50 P50 microcar clone. But we shouldn’t worry too much about that aspect: should anything go wrong, the driver can simply drag the car along to the nearest power socket.