During 1962 the staff of Peel designed the ‘P50’ but sometimes referred to it as the ‘P55 Scooter’. Designed and built by Cyril Cannell and Henry Kissack, and launched at the 1962 Earl’s Court Motorcycle Show, using the concept car, produced to evaluate sizes and possible features. In the video above Pathe News recorded the arrival of the P50 at the motorcycle show and gave the impression that the car was driven into the hall, despite having no engine!

Prior to the manufacture of the prototype body shell, a chassis was being tested on the Isle of Man with the engine driving the single front wheel.

The prototype P50, led the way to the production P50 but with some major differences. The wheel arrangement was reversed as the earlier car was found to be unstable, the production cars having the single wheel at the rear rather that at the front.

The P50 was the first production car manufactured on the Isle of Man and was recognised as the smallest production vehicle in the world. Early promotion material in 1963 suggested that using a P50 was cheaper than walking.

The P50 was available in three basic colours, red, blue and white and had a sales price of £175. The first examples appeared on Manx roads late in 1963, with full production getting underway throughout 1964. Around 55 P50s were built and it’s thought that 28 survive today. These cars were aimed at the city commuter who wanted to travel short distances and have ease of parking, and as a result they sold well in London.