Microcar is a term often used for the smallest size of cars , with three or four wheels and often an engine smaller than 700 cc (43 cu in). Specific types of microcars include bubble cars , cycle cars , invacar , quadricycles and voiturettes . Microcars are often covered by separate regulations to normal cars, having relaxed requirements for registration and licensing.
49-524: The Peel P50 is a three-wheeled microcar originally made from 1962 to 1965 by the Peel Engineering Company on the Isle of Man , and then from 2010 to present. It was listed in the 2010 Guinness World Records as the smallest production car ever made. The original model has no reverse gear, but a handle at the rear allows the very lightweight car to be maneuvered physically when required. Designed as
98-421: A city car , it was advertised in the 1960s as capable of seating "one adult and a shopping bag." The vehicle's only door was on its left side and equipment included a single windscreen wiper and one headlight. Standard colours were Daytona White, Dragon Red, and Dark Blue. The 1963 model retailed for £199 when new (about £4433 in 2021). The company produced 50 P50s, of which 27 are known to still exist, one of which
147-448: A 'Q' plate. Once a kit car has been correctly registered, a V5C, or log book, will be assigned and then a kit car is treated in exactly the same way as a production car, from any larger manufacturer. A kit car must pass its MOT test and have a valid car tax , or have a valid Statutory Off-Road Notification (SORN) declaration. As part of the IVA, a kit car can sometimes be permitted to assume
196-472: A brand new Mercedes-Benz 190E . Manufacturers include Pocket Classics , the Little Car Company , Eshelman , and Hackney . There are also a variety of microcar trucks, usually of the "forward control" or van style to provide more cargo room. These might be used for local deliveries on narrow streets that are unsuited to larger vehicles. The Piaggio Ape is a three-wheeled example. The Honda Acty
245-483: A car at home and license it for public roads, including meeting standards for the mandatory quality control (road worthiness test) that is required in most countries. For example, to obtain permission to use a kit car in Germany, every such vehicle with a speed over 6 km/h without a general operating license (ABE) or an EC type permission (EC-TG) has to undergo a technical inspection by an officially recognized expert. In
294-413: A complete set with all components to assemble into a fully operational vehicle such as those from Caterham . A subset of the kit car, commonly referred to as a "re-body", is when a commercially manufactured vehicle has a new (often fiberglass) body put on the running chassis. Most times, the existing drive gear and interior are retained. These kits require less technical knowledge from the builder. Because
343-439: A fully functioning reverse gear, ensuring they are road-legal under modern-day laws. Production included petrol models with a 49 cc four-stroke engine and electric models with an electric moped motor and gelled-electrolyte batteries. The top speed of both cars is about 28 mph (45 km/h). At 54 in (137 cm) long and 39 in (99 cm) wide and with an unladen weight of 130 pounds (59 kg), as of 2021
392-450: A kit car, depending upon the model and the completeness of the kit. As the complexity of the kits offered continues to increase, build times have increased. Some accurate replica kits may take over 5,000 hours to complete. Several sports car producers such as Lotus, Marcos , and TVR started as kit car makers. New Zealand had a long history of small garages and vehicle enthusiasts modifying and creating sports and sports racing cars. In
441-572: A replica Le Mans M6B styled GT mould in 1968, The cars were made and sold by Dave Harrod and Steve Bond of Fibreglass Developments Ltd, Bunnythorpe as the Maram. McRae went on to make a Porsche Spyder replica in the 1990s. A number of new companies entered the market in the 1980s – Almac 1985, Alternative Cars (1984), Cheetah (1986), Chevron (1984), Countess Mouldings (1988), Fraser (1988), Leitch (1986), and Saker (1989). Some recent ones are Baettie (1997), which became Redline in 2001 and moved to
490-457: A vehicle that they may not be able to afford due to scarcity, and at the same time take advantage of modern technology. The Sterling Nova kit originally produced in the UK was the most popular VW-based kits being produced worldwide. It was licensed under several different names with an estimated 10,000 sold. A common concern about kit cars is that it appears to many to be technically impossible to assemble
539-425: Is a four-wheeled example. Kitcar A kit car is an automobile available as a set of parts that a manufacturer sells and the buyer then assembles into a functioning car. Usually, many of the major mechanical systems such as the engine and transmission are sourced from donor vehicles or purchased new from other vendors. Kits vary in completeness, consisting of as little as a book of plans, or as much as
SECTION 10
#1732854990659588-465: Is an engine displacement of less than 700 cc (43 cu in), although several cars with engines up to 1,000 cc (61 cu in) have also been classified as microcars. Often, the engine was originally designed for a motorcycle. Microcars originated in the years following World War II , when motorcycles transport was commonly used. To provide better weather protection, three-wheeled microcars began increasing in popularity in
637-773: Is often called a microcar in the United States; although it requires a regular licence to drive. The European Union introduced the quadricycle category in 1992. In several European countries since then, microcars are classified by governments separately from normal cars, sometimes using the same regulations as motorcycles or mopeds . Therefore, compared with normal cars, microcars often have relaxed requirements for registration and licensing, and can be subject to lower taxes and insurance costs. Junior cars are motorized cars for children, typically copies of real designs. Originally powered either by electric engines or small internal combustion engines, electric engines currently dominate. From
686-501: Is owned by Caterham Cars , who bought the rights to the car from Lotus founder Colin Chapman in 1973. Caterham cars are component cars and are a continued development of Chapman's design. All other Lotus Seven-style cars are replica kit cars costing significantly less than the Caterham without the residual value. These replica kit cars enable enthusiasts to possess a vehicle closely resembling
735-699: Is street-legal in the US. Cars were exported to other countries, sometimes being classified as a moped (e.g. the P50 that went to Finland ). In the Netherlands there are two original Peel Tridents registered as tricycles , but the Trident replica with the 50cc engine and 59 km/h (37 mph) top speed was registered as a moped. In Amsterdam the Ripley's Believe It Or Not museum has one. Due to local traffic rules it may not be driven on
784-459: Is too early to tell what impact this will have on the industry. A significant number of kit cars do not receive a 'Q' registration plate, which signifies a vehicle of unknown or mixed age. All kit cars are subject to a Vehicle Identity Check, VIC, by the DVLA to determine the registration mark a kit car is assigned. This will be either, a new, current year, registration; an 'age-related' registration; or
833-675: The Dragons' Den asking for £80,000. They got the investment and started a new company to put their revised models into production. Three replica models were available initially: Gas, Eco and Fun. The line was later reduced to two: the Petrol and Electric models. These are hand-built to order in Sutton-in-Ashfield by Micro Car Specialists for the domestic and export markets. In 2018 it was reported that Peel Engineering sells around fifteen P50s annually, plus ten or so continuations of its bigger sister,
882-934: The Heinkel Kabine and the Isetta . The British version of the Isetta was built with only one rear wheel, instead of the narrow-tracked pair of wheels in the normal Isetta design, in order to take advantage of the three-wheel vehicle laws in the United Kingdom. There were also indigenous British three-wheeled microcars, including the Peel Trident . Examples include the Citroën Prototype C , FMR Tg500 , Fuldamobil , Heinkel Kabine , Isetta , Messerschmitt KR175 , Messerschmitt KR200 , Peel P50 , Peel Trident , SMZ S-1L , Trojan 200 , and Kleinschnittger F125 . Recent microcars include
931-606: The VW 1.9 TDI , VW 1.8T , (not specified) 2.0 Subaru engine, 2.5L V6 Ford , 3.0 V6 Jaguar , 3.0 I6 BMW , or 4.2L V8 from Audi R8 . Though based in Slovakia , the company markets itself as producing Czecho - Slovakian products. Technically, kit cars are not allowed in Sweden, but provided that most of the components and material are sourced by the builder personally it is possible to register them as amateur built vehicles. Before
980-597: The 130HP to 800HP range. Due to its light weight it achieves the same power output–weight ratio as Lamborghini Gallardo , Audi R8 , or Ferrari F430 even with a 280 hp engine. The (cheapest) complete kit costs around $ 15,000, and is based on the Honda Accord 4/5G F20/F22 (2.0L–2.2L) engine. A complete kit with Honda Civic Type-R 9-10G K20C1 achieves 320HP (at request, the engine can be tuned to 400–500HP). Many more engines, such as Honda K24 , Toyota 3SGTE are available. Customer projects have included engines such as
1029-567: The 1926 Baby Bugatti until today, junior cars are often as expensive as a real car and are built to a higher standard than a ride-in toy car. As with the Bugatti, these are frequently sold directly by real car manufacturers such as Porsche and Ferrari. In the 1990s Aston Martin built a half-scale junior car version of the then-new Aston Martin Virage Volante , with a handmade aluminium body, leather interior, and 160-cc Honda engine. It cost as much as
SECTION 20
#17328549906591078-464: The 2001 Aixam 5xx series, Renault Twizy , Citroën Ami , and XEV Yoyo . Electric-powered microcars which have reached production include the 1987 CityEl , the 1990 Automobiles ERAD Spacia, the 1999 Corbin Sparrow , the 2001 REVAi , the 2005 Commuter Cars Tango , the 2009 Tazzari Zero and the resurrected Peel P50 of 2011 (the original model of 1962 - 65 being petrol powered). The Smart Fortwo
1127-560: The Beetle one of the most popular "donor" vehicles. Examples of this conversion include the Bradley GT , Sterling , and Sebring which were made by the thousands. Many are still around today. Volkswagen-based dune buggies also appeared in relatively large numbers in the 1960s and 1970s, usually based on a shortened floor pan. Current kit cars are frequently replicas of well-known and often expensive classics. They are designed so that anyone with
1176-514: The MEV Exocet was the best selling kit car. Manufacturers in the UK are actively supported by owners' clubs, some of which are marque specific; while others follow a specific type, such as Cobra replicas. Some groups are also area related, (for example, by county or geographic location). A glider kit is a term used in the United States for a kit of components used to restore or reconstruct
1225-569: The P50 holds the record as the smallest car ever to go into production. The Peel P50's diminutive size and width means that it can quite easily fit through doorways and enter buildings, as demonstrated by Jeremy Clarkson where, during a 2007 episode of Top Gear , he drove a blue P50 through the BBC's Television Centre . He later proceeded to create the P45, a 1 seater car smaller than the original P50 model. However, his invention never made it into production or in
1274-434: The UK allow the production of up to 200 vehicles a year without the extensive regulation and testing requirements applied to mass-market vehicles. This has led to an expanding industry of small producers capable of offering partial and complete kits, some for export, and finished vehicles for domestic use. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) regulate kit cars in the UK, which helps to ensure that vehicles used on
1323-495: The United Kingdom and Germany following World War II, and remained popular until the 1960s. They were originally called minicars, but later became known as microcars. France also produced large numbers of similar tiny vehicles called voiturettes , but they were rarely sold abroad. Microcars have three or four wheels, although most were three-wheelers which, in many countries, meant that they qualified for lower taxes and were licensed as motorcycles . Another common characteristic
1372-424: The United Kingdom in 2007 as Beattie Racing Limited, and McGregor (2001). Two companies who specialise in making replicas of various models to order are Classic Car Developments (1992) and Tempero. The K1-Attack Kit car is produced by Slovakian company K1 Styling & Tuning. Their cars are customizable and have come in many different variations since 2001. K1 offers engines produced by Honda , Toyota , etc. in
1421-493: The United Kingdom it is necessary to meet the requirements of the IVA (Individual vehicle Approval) regulations. In the United States SEMA has gone state by state to set up legal ways for states to register kit cars and speciality vehicles for inspection and plates. A survey of nearly 600 kit car owners in the US, the UK and Germany, carried out by Dr. Ingo Stüben, showed that typically 100–1,500 hours are required to build
1470-470: The United Kingdom, where they could be driven using only a motorcycle licence. One of the first microcars was the 1949 Bond Minicar . Microcars also became popular in Europe. A demand for cheap personal motorised transport emerged, and their greater fuel efficiency meant that microcars became even more significant when fuel prices rose, partly due to the 1956 Suez Crisis . The microcar boom lasted until
1519-501: The World Guinness Book of Records, even though it was fully street legal and qualified as a car with 4 wheels. The original P50 used a 3 cu in (49.2 cc) DKW single-cylinder engine, which gave it a top speed of approximately 37 mph (60 km/h), and was equipped with a three-speed manual transmission that had no reverse. Consequently, turning in a confined area could be achieved only by pushing, or lifting
Peel P50 - Misplaced Pages Continue
1568-493: The age of a single, older car (the donor car ) if the major parts were taken from it in its construction. If the age identifier assigned to a kit car falls before 1980 the vehicle may be road taxed free of charge. According to figures given to Kit Car magazine, the most popular kit in the United Kingdom in 2005 was made by Robin Hood Sportscars , who sold 700 kits a year. The editor of Kit Car Magazine suggests in 2016
1617-399: The car has reached the rolling chassis stage and the second when the car is finished. Amateur-built cars are currently limited to a power ratio of 15 kW (20.4 PS) per 100 kg (182 hp/ton). Until 2003, the limit was 10 kW (13.6 PS) per 100 kg, so for very light cars (like a Lotus 7 type car) it was a problem to find a suitable engine. Vehicle regulations in
1666-484: The car using the handle on the rear and physically pulling it round. The makers and users claim fuel consumption of 100 mpg ‑imp (2.8 L/100 km; 83 mpg ‑US ). In 1963, as a publicity stunt, a Peel P50 was taken to the top of Blackpool Tower in the lift and driven around the observation balcony. At least one prototype, the Peel P55 Saloon Scooter , has also survived. Unlike
1715-415: The chassis and mechanical systems were designed, built, and tested by a major automotive manufacturer, a re-body can lead to a much higher degree of safety and reliability. The definition of a kit car usually indicates that a manufacturer constructs multiple kits of the same vehicle, each of which it then sells to a third party to build. A kit car should not be confused with Kit cars have been around since
1764-543: The cycle path. In Wassenaar the Louwman Museum had an original P50 on display; it was on the poster of the "Dwarfcar" themed exhibition. Microcar Voiturette is a term used by some small cars and tricycles manufactured from 1895 to 1910. Cyclecars are a type of small, lightweight and inexpensive car manufactured mainly between 1910 and the late 1920s. The first cars to be described as microcars (earlier equivalents were called voiturettes or cyclecars) were built in
1813-592: The earliest days of the automobile. In England in 1896, Thomas Hyler-White developed a design for a car that could be assembled at home. Technical designs were published in a magazine called The English Mechanic . In the US, the Lad's Car of 1912 could be bought for US$ 160 ($ 5,000 in 2023) fully assembled or US$ 140 ($ 4,400 in 2023) in kit form. Kit cars became popular in the 1950s. Car production had increased considerably and with rust proofing in its infancy, many older vehicles were being sent to breaker yards as their bodywork
1862-530: The early 1950s, with the advent of fibreglass bodied cars, a new opportunity arose for local companies associated with car enthusiasts to create car bodies. Among these early manufacturers was Weltex Plastics Limited of Christchurch, which imported a Microplas Mistral sports car mould and began making bodies and chassis in 1956. They were followed in 1958 by Frank Cantwell's Puma and Bruce Goldwater's Cougar. Also in New Zealand during this period, Ferris de Joux
1911-446: The imposition of a purchase tax , as the kits were assessed as components and not vehicles. During the 1970s, many kits had bodies styled as sports cars that were designed to bolt directly to VW Beetle chassis. This was popular as the old body could be easily separated from the chassis, leaving virtually all mechanical components attached to the chassis. A fiber-reinforced plastic body from the kit supplier would then be fitted. This made
1960-489: The late 1950s, when larger cars regained popularity. The 1959 introduction of the Mini , which provided greater size and performance at an affordable price, contributed to the decline in popularity of microcars. Production of microcars had largely ceased by the end of the 1960s, due to competition from the Mini , Citroën 2CV , Fiat 500 and Renault 4 . Several microcars of the 1950s and 1960s were nicknamed bubble cars . This
2009-463: The law requiring a mandatory crash test in 1970 there was a booming kit car industry in Sweden with most companies basing their kits on the VW Beetle chassis. By the time amateur-built vehicles were once again allowed in 1982, all kit car makers in Sweden were out of business. The inspection (SVA equivalent) in Sweden is handled by the car builders' association SFRO who does two inspections: one when
Peel P50 - Misplaced Pages Continue
2058-503: The production Peel P50 (along with all developments and replicas thereof), this prototype used the less stable layout of a single wheel at the front and two at the back. Approximately 47 Peel P50s were sold at £299 each. On 15 February 2013 at the Bruce Weiner RM Auction a genuine 1964 Peel P50 (Registration number ARX 37B) achieved in excess of US$ 120,000 ( £ 80,000). In 2011 businessmen Gary Hillman and Faizal Khan went to
2107-561: The right technical skills can build them at home to a standard where they can be driven on the public roads. These replicas are in general appearance like the original, but their bodies are often made of fiberglass mats soaked in polyester resin instead of the original sheet metal . Replicas of the AC Cobra and the Lotus Seven are particularly popular examples. The right to manufacture the Lotus 7
2156-417: The road are safe and suitable for the purpose. The current test for this is Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA), which has replaced Single Vehicle Approval (SVA). When SVA was first introduced in 1998, many believed this would kill off the kit car market, but in reality it has made the kit car market stronger, as the vehicles produced now have to meet a minimum standard. IVA was introduced in summer 2009 and it
2205-517: The two-seat bubblecar Peel Trident . The conventional piston engined P50 is more requested in the UK, priced at £14,879 – whereas greater demand for the Peel comes from the US, where the electric model (at £13,679) helps owners to comply with emissions regulations. The original Peel P50 has always been road-legal in the UK, though the many replica versions are classed as Kitcar and as such, require MSVA inspection for 3 wheel Moped or 4 wheel Quadricycle. It
2254-456: Was beyond economic repair. An industry grew up supplying new bodies and chassis to take the components from these cars and convert them into new vehicles, particularly into sports cars. Fiber-reinforced plastic was coming into general use and made limited-scale production of automobile body components much more economical. In the UK up to the mid-1970s, kit cars were sometimes normal production vehicles that were partially assembled. This avoided
2303-463: Was constructing a variety of sports racers. De Joux is noted in particular for his Mini GT from the 1960s. Ross Baker's Heron Cars started in 1962 making racing cars and eventually began producing kit cars in 1980. Bill Ashton, formerly of Microplas and Weltex, joined with Ted George in the 1960s and made the Tiki. Three were known to have been made. Graham McRae with Steve Bond of Gemini Plastics imported
2352-710: Was due to the aircraft-style bubble canopies of vehicles such as the Messerschmitt KR175 , Messerschmitt KR200 and the FMR Tg500 . Other microcars, such as the Isetta , also had a bubble-like appearance. German manufacturers of bubble cars included former military aircraft manufacturers Messerschmitt and Heinkel . BMW manufactured the Italian Iso Rivolta Isetta under licence, using an engine based on one from one of their own motorcycles. The United Kingdom had licence-built right-hand-drive versions of
2401-515: Was sold for a record US$ 176,000 at a Sotheby's auction in March 2016. In 2010 Peel Engineering Ltd. in England reinstated manufacturing of the P50 and Trident models from its premises in Sutton-in-Ashfield , England. Externally this car is very similar to the original, with the same dimensions and kerb weight as the original, but with mechanical differences in the suspension, steering, and drive-train, and
#658341