Sci-Fi Microcar: 1965 Peel Trident
By the 1960s, the space race was on in earnest. The USSR and the USA were locked in a battle as each sought to achieve the goal of landing on the moon. The public’s passion for ongoing developments spilled over into areas like tv programming, while some vehicle manufacturers appealed to their interest by producing cars with radical styling. One was the Peel Trident, which enjoyed a short two-year production run. The build total was modest, and these rare little beasts rarely appear in the current market. That makes this one a treat and worth more than a passing glance. It is located in Risør, Norway, and listed here on Barn Finds Classifieds. The seller set their price at $40,000, and its rarity justifies that figure.
The Peel Engineering Company operated in Peel, on the west coast of the Isle of Man. It predominantly produced fiberglass boats and motorcycle fairings before branching into car design and construction. Its best-known model is the P50, which features in The Guinness Book of Records as the world’s smallest production car. The Trident appeared in 1965, and unlike the single-seat P50, it could (barely) accommodate two people. Its styling was considered radical and reminds me of the family transport in the animated tv series, The Jetsons. The company drew on its extensive fiberglass experience to produce the Trident’s body, utilizing a plexiglass bubble top with a separate windshield. This car recently emerged from storage and is in generally good condition for its age. The seller confirms a small body crack, but a fiberglass specialist should have no trouble addressing this. Otherwise, the plexiglass and trim are in good order, and it would only take a minor cosmetic refresh to return this beauty to as-new condition.
Apart from the radical styling, the most notable difference between the P50 and the Trident is how people climb aboard. The P50 features a single conventional side door, while the Trident’s upper body tilts forward. It makes entering and exiting the car easy, and would undoubtedly draw attention in a shopping mall car park. The interior is pretty basic, with a single seat that can accommodate two people, some vinyl upholstery on the sides, and a rubber mat on the floor. The dash features essential switches and gauges, but in keeping with Peel’s drive towards affordability, there are no luxury features like a radio. The interior appears to be complete and in good order, meaning this is one aspect of this classic requiring little more than cleaning and detailing.
Peel designed its P50 and Trident as city cars, meaning outright performance wasn’t a prime consideration. Powering the Trident is a DKW single-cylinder fan-cooled engine with a capacity of 49cc (3ci). It sent 4hp to the road via a three-speed manual transmission, producing a top speed of 38mph. However, as a city car, its ace was fuel consumption. Testing confirmed it could comfortably achieve 83mpg, making it one of the most frugal production cars on the planet. This Trident is mechanically complete and was used regularly through the 1960s and 1970s. It has spent more than four decades hidden in a dry barn, so it will probably require a thorough inspection before the new owner coaxes it back to life.
The Peel Engineering Company only produced around forty-five examples of its Trident model in 1965 and 1966. That makes these classics extremely rare. The company ceased operation in 1974 but was re-established in 2010 to hand-build a new generation of the Trident and P50 models to order. Finding an original example for sale is like locating an automotive unicorn, which explains the asking price. It may seem like a lot of money, but with spotless versions capable of generating six-figure prices at auction, returning this one to its former glory would be straightforward and worth the effort for its investment potential alone. Undoubtedly, it would command attention wherever it goes, and the ownership experience promises to be a barrel of laughs. Enjoyment is what classic cars are supposed to be all about, and that’s the best reason I can think of to pursue this Trident further.
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Comments
Neat piece, Adam!
Is this chain drive, and does it have a multi speed transmission?
A friend of mine had a 49cc DKW motor in his moped as I recall, and had to rebuild it when he learned the hard way oil:gas-ratio is critical on a 2 stroke…
Thank you for the feedback and questions, Nevadahalfrack. I can confirm that the Trident has a three-speed manual transmission, but I’m unsure whether it shares the P50’s trait of having no reverse gear. Both are chain drive and are highly sought by collectors due to the low production numbers. It is unclear how many Tridents exist, but only around 27 examples of the P50 are still kicking around.
At least, there is no reverse gear. You have to do reverse by foot stepping.. or pushing. If you are lucky, some nice people will push you and you can still sit in your limousine ! :-)
Looks like you’d be driving a non ventilated fishbowl, as I see no provisions for occupant comfort. I wonder what would be the maximum height that would fit COMFORTABLY inside this little cutie! GLWTS!! :-)
Clarkson drove one through the BBC offices in one episode of Top Gear. He was way hunched over..
That was the “sedan” Peel P50. This is the “sports car”.
He’s a big guy, I was amazed he could even fit in that little car !
That was hilarious, very memorable.
Ran when…hung up in the closet.
That’s one expensive golf cart.
Very cute little car. Did I say little? I meant micro. I could put one of these in the trunk of one of my Cadillacs as a spare.
I can’t see any front parking/blinker lights. I guess it doesn’t matter as no one uses their blinker anymore anyway.
Not even good for that. No room for the golf clubs.
$40k might be a good price? But i see now it does not run.
Won’t peel out from a standing start.
I find this vehicle to be quite a peel ing.
‘Taint no Emma…
This would not make it up a lot of hills where I live, even with a running start downhill from the previous hill. I wouldn’t feel comfortable in this thing either… safety wise. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I find this thing ugly.
My first mini bike had 5hp. And I was 9. Grown men actually spent money on this thing?
There are copies being made in the UK, and i am surprised they havent been COPIED BY CHINA.. like everything else..
I have my own microcar collection, and missed buying one back in the 90s by a few thousand $$
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXE84C9droU
$40K and it doesn’t run? Get it running before setting that price!! $40K and it don’t run, NO SALE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Imagine the death toll if these were common today with all the distracted mobile phone operators behind the wheel.
Can confirm that’s a good price if it’s original as advertised. There’s so little to them, the most you could spend on rebuild would be around $5k. Seems legit.
I think I’ll stay with my Eldorado.
I would paint it ORANGE 🤣
I would paint it invisible Lol ! You could see me floating with 25mph over the tarmac…
@MoparMike
Even with all of today’s distractions, you could hardly get hurt in an accident, if everyone was driving one of these. Your top speed is only 35 mph
Running at 35 mph, you could still do some damage to others.
I used to live in west Texas and the wind blew those huge tumbleweeds across the wide open spaces. This would get swallowed by those tumbleweeds… those VW Beetles wound up upside down between towns out there.
@TOR
35 is the top speed. You gotta figure most would be doing 15/20 mph. They’d be bouncing off each other like bumper cars
Attach a pole in the back and it will be one of the vintage Fisher-Price corn popper toys.
Seems the “modern-made to order” Peels could have a floor that allows access to the pavement somehow so you could “Flintstone” a reverse mode. Just a thought…