Two recently discovered, extremely rare microcars led a buoyant auction at Donington Auctions last weekend, with a Peel P50 setting a new record price for a microcar in Australia.
The tiny Peel – made famous when Jeremy Clarkson drove one through the BBC studios on Top Gear – captured bidders’ imaginations worldwide.
The 1964 Peel P50, sold at Donington Auctions’ Collector and Competition Car Auction for an eye-watering $85,000, following a frenzy of bids from Australia and overseas before being secured by a local collector.
Weighing just 59 kilograms, measuring 137 cm long and 99 cm wide, the Peel P50 is officially recognised in the Guinness Book of Records as the smallest production car ever built. Manufactured between 1962 and 1965 by the Peel Engineering Company on the Isle of Man, the P50 is one of the most distinctive and collectible microcars in the world.
Recently discovered in a Queensland garage, where they had remained untouched for more than five decades, the 1964 Peel P50 and 1962 Messerschmitt KR200 drew strong interest from collectors both in Australia and abroad.
The Peel P50 sold today is believed to be the only factory-built example in Australia. With just 49 produced and only 27 thought to survive, it represents an extraordinary find.
“This result reinforces that rarity and unrestored originality remain key factors for collectors in today’s market and that they’re willing to pay a premium for it,” Donington Auctions’ Damien Duigan said.