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Your Chance to Own a Classic in Stunning Red: Rare 1964 Peel P50 for Sale

They say the future of urban mobility is all-electric and probably two-wheeled. Back in the swinging ‘60s, the “future” was a little something called the Peel P50 microcar.
1964 Peel P50, Canadian version, fully restored 8 photos
Photo: bringatrailer.com / chapron67
1964 Peel P50, Canadian version, fully restored1964 Peel P50, Canadian version, fully restored1964 Peel P50, Canadian version, fully restored1964 Peel P50, Canadian version, fully restored1964 Peel P50, Canadian version, fully restored1964 Peel P50, Canadian version, fully restored1964 Peel P50, Canadian version, fully restored
Incredibly small, the P50 was 54 inches (137 cm) long, 39 inches wide (99 cm) and weighed some 130 pounds (59 kg), meaning considerably less than today’s motorcycles. Top speed was of about 37 mph (60 kph), and though sold as a microcar, it was legally classified as a motorcycle. This allowed the maker to go light on safety features, so don’t expect things like seatbelts or side mirrors on it.

Some 50 P50s were made by Peel Engineering Company on the Isle of Man, UK, between 1962 and 1965, and some of these shipped to Canada. The Canadian version was the same P50 that was sold back in the UK, but with a pipe welded to the exhaust to transfer some of the heat into the cabin.

This long introduction paves the way to the announcement that one such, very rare Canadian P50 has popped up for sale on Bring A Trailer. Bidding is currently at $30,000 with six more days to go into the campaign, so it will probably go higher. This is amazing for a piece of car (literally, a piece of car) that initially sold for some £90, which is roughly about $110 at today’s exchange rate.

This particular P50, made in 1964, has traveled from the UK to Canada and then to the U.S., where the selling owner had it restored and refurbished. It comes with a gorgeous red exterior over a gray interior with a single cream vinyl seat, a rebuilt DKW 49cc two-stroke single-cylinder engine delivering a total of 4.2 horsepower, three-speed manual transmission, and the extra feature of a rear-mounted reverse handle. That last part is important, since the P50 originally had only three forward speeds and no reverse gear.

Because the microcar doesn’t have instrumentation, total mileage is unknown, but it does come with a clean Washington bill of sale.

The P50 is famous and not just because it’s so incredibly tiny. In 2010, it was named Guinness’ smallest production car in the world, it was featured on Top Gear and How It’s Made, among others.

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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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