Even though I know what raycons are, mentioning they have water filters made me visit the raycon site for the first time ever. Congrats on making the most compelling raycon ad I've ever seen.
I wish there was a documentary that interviewed people who bought these crazy European micro cars in period and actually used them as their everyday transportation. I want to hear about Hans who put this family of four in a Messerschmitt and drove it 120 miles through the snow to his in laws for Christmas
That would be great. My grandfather had an Isetta that he drove quite a bit, but it wasn't his only car. After retirement, he drove around the countryside with my grandma and visited cafes. I remember us driving to play minigolf once.
To give you an indication of how bad these things are my mother is from The Isle of Man and she was coming of age when these things were made and one of her boyfriends had an Isetta despite living down the street from the factory that made these.
You wouldn't be able to drive this without someone picking it up and turning you around by the handle at the back. Top Gear has a lot to answer for. 😂😂😂😂
To think, this was built in the only part of the British Isles with mostly no speed limits. One good point though, it's easy to convert it to left hand drive.
There is a guy here in the UK who bought all the rights to the p50 and trident. He still makes them either complete or in kit form and are available with a range of engines including a 110cc Honda/pit bike. Believe he was looking at ev options too
Yes, there's engine options up to 300cc now, the ev is available, and there's a convertible version, you can get one with racing stripes in a whole myriad of colors and they start around 6,000$ US if I remember correctly
I was out walking in the UK and stopped because I expected a tiny 60's moped to come around the corner and a convoy of tiny 60's microcars went past in convoy. There was a Bond microcar gathering at a nearby campsite, with a few other brands along for the ride. My Dad had a Reliant Regal as his first family vehicle, purely because he only had a motorbike license. I remember being picked up early from school when I was five in his Reliant Regal, sadly I was going home early because my Grandad had died.
They were called Bond Minicars. I had a friend at school who owned two of them back in the very early 1970s and got to do a little work on one of them. Very strange things to drive around in. The latter of the two had a two cylinder 250cc Villiers two-stroke engine, and like all Bond Minicars, the engine was mounted over the front wheel which was attached to a vertical strut via a trailing arm suspension system. The whole thing, engine and suspension, would rotate as one. If you put the wheel over on full lock it would essentially rotate round the centre of the back axle. Like all Bond Minicars, you could start them by opening the bonnet, putting one leg over the "grill" and use the kickstart. Some had a lawnmower type pull-start in the cabin, other later ones could have electric start with the capability of stopping the engine and starting it backwards, which gave is 4 reverse gears. It could do that as it was a two-stroke and had two sets of points (a system designed by a German company called Dynastart). It was remarkably inconvenient, it it worked at all, and it was simply easier to push the car backwards out of a parking spot and it was seldom necessary to go backwards because of that ability to essentially spin the vehicle around on the spot. No need for a three point turn on those things.
My dad's first car was a Reliant Regal, and let me tell you, after doing the 500-mile trip to his parents' in a Russian motorbike and sidecar, mum riding pillion and my little brother and I bundled up in the sidecar with frozen snotsicles out past our ears, that car was sheer luxury. He later got a Reliant Robin.
It's not just the UK, although we have our fair share. Look at other European vehicles. Lots of microcars and other unusual designs. France and Italy made them, and even the Germans got in on the act. No doubt there were many others that a came and went with varying degrees of success in many countries. I'd love to try a few.
Kei cars are not that small compared to actual full blown cars as long as you are not american :D European and asian city cars are barely larger if at all.@@MasticinaAkicta
That's because you had a long period where a couple of guys getting together in a shed, with a lot of beer, to make a car, was the norm. A surprising amount of them turned out semi successful.
The DVLA still has details on this very car. It was built in 1964 (the "B" at the end of the number plate corroborates this) and has been untaxed since the 1st of August 1985. The "KH" in the number plate also indicates this was registered in Hull.
and apparently the last V5C Logbook was issued on October 21st, 2005 (probably when it was imported to the US) EDIT: I ran a DVLA check on the Bamby, and it was last taxed on August 1st, 1988 and the last V5C Logbook was issued on November 30th, 2005!
it makes sense to use it as a somewhat larger person. Every bit of added crumbling zone helps. btw i like that that museum makes an effort to keep cars driveable and not just display pieces.
You can still buy them too. There’s a company called P50 cars that makes reproduction ones. Under 10k too, plus there’s an electric one. It’d be cool to see you build one.
This is actually an edited variant of the video. He originally did bring up the fact that someone is making repoductions, but after some unprofessionalism, he decided against advertising they existed.
@@deefdragon Carbon fiber is the new fiberglass. Plus it's really cheap to get polystyrene forms made by someone with a robot. Three e-bike motors, with a battery pan would be fun. The battery on the bottom would make it pretty stable too. I would want mine to look like a Porsche 550 Spyder. Call it "Mini Bastard".
I honestly feel like things like this are the best of RUclips. A creator has fun, makes content, and I have fun watching making me plan a trip to a physical small business (car museum) with my family when we go to Nashville again. Everyone wins.
This shows nicely why there's motorcycles and cars: Anything inbetween is a mess with the worst from both worlds. The Bamby also very nicely demonstrates the validity of Rule 11 of RFC1925: "Every old idea will be proposed again with a different name and a different presentation, regardless of whether it works."
"Is this really a car?" A valid question! Here in Sweden it would legally be considered a motorcycle since it's only got three wheels. Or a moped, had it been restricted to a top speed of 19 mph. However one classifies this weird vehicle, I want to drive one! The Trident however, I want that!! I'd drive it around with one of those aluminium foil looking 50's scifi suits on, and by my side a girlfriend from another planet! Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrah, but some day.... Thanks for uploading!
Being legally considered a motorcycle (for tax and/or licensing purposes) was the whole point of three-wheelers like this, so chances are that if there's a country where it's officially a car, they weren't available when they were new.
@@stevethepocketAlso, the reason those didn't have a reverse gear. Imported Isettas even had their reverse gear mechanically blocked off to be motorcycles. For a front-entry car, that was quite risky, as parking too close to a wall would trap you inside.
@@HenryLoenwind Luckily, you'd just have to ask for a couple of lads to pull you backwards. The Isetta weighs ~1,000 pounds. Put it in neutral, and I presume a couple of guys or one particularly strong one could pull it for a short distance.
Greetings from a very cold and wet Isle of Man! I always find it ironic that at the same time this was being built on the island, the TT races saw incredible developments in motorcycle technology, especially from the Japanese manufacturers. Just think: at the same time the P50 was unleashed onto Manx roads, so was the sublime Honda RC165. Maybe not at the same exact time but hey..
One of my favourite cars ever alongside the beetle, robin reliant & ford capri. When I visited the Isle of Man in 2019 to learn Morse code from another HAM operator, an ex-rally car driver drove us all around the island (at very illegal speeds) and we finished in Peel to see the abandoned factory of the Peel P50 and Trident.
If it's a sequential box (likely) the first is below neutral and everything else is on the other side. This is quite common especially on smaller motorcycle engines.
Yeah, scooters back then often had a twist grip shifter, with the gear pattern being. Its not quite the same as a modern motorcycle shifter as there was no ratchet mechanism and every gear is a different position on the grip but very similar. The shifter on the peel likely just operates that mechanism.
The description immediately reminded me of a motorcycle transmission. They're weird if you're used to a car, but make a ton of sense if you're shifting with your foot.
Thanks for mentioning the bamby I was literally crossing my fingers hoping that you would raise awareness of it. I can't believe how much more roomy and comfortable the bamby looks
I got to ride in a Peel Trident years ago at the Unique Little Car Show in Long Beach. 15mph through the parking lot with your face at about SUV bumper height was pretty terrifying, even to somebody who's driven things like Subaru 360s and Fiat 500s.
I remember seeing the bubble dome version on the roads and similar things like the Isetta, they were the next step up from the invacar for those who couldn't handle the shame. and TBH you can clearly see its a replica of sorts, the inside is different and the wheels shouldn't be doing that, I hope you get to drive a full blown original one day.
I lived 2 miles from Lane Motor Museum for about 6 years and never visited. As a fan of your channel I greatly regret that decision now. Keep up the great work!
Thank you for this wonderful video, and thank you to Lane Motor Museum for letting you make this video. I wold love to see a more in dept video of the bamby. I have been to the museum and could easily spend weeks there looking through their exhibits, we would love to see more of these types of videos.😃
There's a reproduction available as a kit online, ranging from 12k pounds up to 20k+ depending on the options you choose. You too could be the proud owner of a tippy block of cheese!
This is actually an edited variant of the video. He originally did bring up the fact that someone is making repoductions, but after some unprofessionalism, he decided against advertising they existed.
I just realized why you could tip it easier from the left side, as you said the engine is side mounted, it’s on the right side. The other thing the aisle of Mann is known for it motorcycle riding.
I would guess the scooter the engine was designed for used a twist shifter on the left handgrip and the shift lever is attached via two cables in the exact same way the twist shift would be. My Vespa has the same shift pattern, so it may have been common. It's also possible that the donor scooter or a variant was offered with a lever shift. The switches in the center of the steering wheel are also similar to those on my Vespa. I get the feeling that they may have imported complete scooters and pulled all the useful bits off to build these p50s. That also assumes this example was built in the same manner as the production models.
Y'gotta love the Lane Motor Museum... because they have a Peel. _(rimshot)_ I feel like that car was a serious attempt to make a road capable version of the Little Tikes Cozy Coupe. It's just missing the yellow roof and more driver protection.
A DKW engine... The Trabant motor was also based on a DKW engine, so it's almost like they are very distant cousins. (And the first Trabant was also a P50, but that's just coincidence.)
Wow look close enough and you realize what you're looking at is the cockpit section of an obviously too small airplane that got grounded before it could be brought to market so a tiny car for a small island was created.
Just visited the Lane Motor Museum for the first time today with my wife! It was super cool to see this place in person and admire the vehicles they have. I especially loved the Lotus exhibit they have in currently. So glad i discovered this place from your vids!
Weirdest thing is how it's manual. I totally would've guessed it to have a belt drive CVT like a scooter. Fitting a manual to a 49cc motor is just insane
@@sys-administratorI suspect that a 1960s CVT wouldn't stand up to much wear and tear, material science wasn't anywhere near as sophisticated back then
9:53 The Bamby looks like it's hiding a kick-start mini-bike under it. They didn't even try to disguise it. If you pull out the panel with the cup holder, there's probably still a seat in there :)
Absolutely love tiny cars, they always have the funniest driving dynamics. However, if you're in the mood for something bigger, have you ever thought of touring the LARC-LX 1959 5-ton amphibious vehicle in the background of the parking lot you use for test drives at the museum? It's more of a ship than a car, to be perfectly honest. They prolly won't let you drive it, but it could be fun to see!
I think people should build modern replicas of these with proper roll cages and safety seats, and then race them. It'd be hilarious. Roll it going round a corner? Just get out, pick it up again, and continue.
This kind of reminds me of those vehicles they had in the UK for people that were disabled. I think this was the 60s or 70s. Small vehicles for people to get around town. I can't remember the name though.
It was indeed called the Invacar. They were given to disabled people free if they could get a licence to drive a moped. Weird times. Some invacars still exist in private collections.
I am a big fan of yours and I too love quirky cars. I own one of the few remaining Solectria, Geo Metro, electric cars on the planet. Range is now around 10-20 miles and I would never take it on the highway. I love it.
That's been made by converting an actual Suzuki production car which means it stops, steers and likely doesn't tip. That's several orders of magnitude more street worthy than the P50 ^^ Also I hope Robert sees this, maybe one day he'll have a comprehensive playlist with all the weird electric cars.
I live in a small town in argentina called Las Flores and my grandad had a locally build red bmw isetta 600. Wich he used to go to his farm just outside of town. He told me it was great because he used it to go in a small muddy road and if the thing got stuck he would just yank it and keep going. Beautiful cars.
We need to start showing kids things like this and then putting them through a fabrication class. If you did this every semester, absolutely seniors in highschool would be able to meet or exceed this standard, probably give them some college credit. Like it would help so much if this thing had 4 wheels, and I don't think that'd be an egregious requirement. The fiberglass is perhaps a little ambitious because it's all or mostly one piece and structural. Doing electric instead would greatly improve the stability. Researching assembled vehicle requirements in Michigan, plexiglass windshields are banned... that might complicate this a lot...
That would be a fascinating project. It's essentially a trike in a fancy hat, but there are some wrinkles like the proper steering wheel. You could use _some_ modular parts from small cars --- cheap, reliable, and easy to source --- but things like building the steering assembly would have to be made from scratch. Not complicated, but not trivial either.
boat building apprentices learn fiberglass lamination too, sometimes on a whim when the company decides it needs a few parts done, so it wouldn"t be too much to ask for to do this in a fabrication class
I went to Nashville for Thanksgiving, and thanks to your last video, I knew the Motor Museam existed! It was a great experience and the basement was amazing.
Robert: "The rear? Too soft. The front? Too stiff." Me: *snickering* Robert: "That is the *worst* clutch I've ever felt." Me: "that's what she said" As always, the gleeful giggles make it, & istg I would pay cash money to go around the Lane museum & hear you talk about all the whacky cars they have. Love it.
I honestly thought this was one of those plastic toy cars that little kids get in and push along with their feet when I saw the thumbnail for this video.
I watched in amazement as the driver opened the FRONT of the car. What!!? Rome, 17 yrs old. It was old - BMW or Isetta - but with the narrow streets it made perfect sense. Fascinating.
I had one of those red and yellow plastic Little Tikes foot-powered cars as a kid... It had 4 wheels and was a little bit smaller but the resemblance is still pretty spot on
It's like two people were trying to design a vehicle, and one wanted a car while the other wanted a bike. They never argued, but never properly communicated their ideas between each other either.
Looking at the last shot makes me kind of want one. But black or grey so I can put a brim on it and make it look like a bowler hat. There's a lot of interesting and beautiful cars in the background there. Would be great to see a tour of the place.
Robert's definitely got something about tiny car's. and so do the British people. I would have liked to see him driving that nice blue sports car in the background.
When you covered the Ami, I figured you have other Lane cars. Full of the oddball stuff you love. Don't ignore the LARC. That would be the perfect contrast too the P50.
It should be noted that the German term for these, applied originally to the Messerschmidt Kabinenroller and BMW Isetta, but later also to this whole class of vehicle, is "Schlaglochsuchgerät", or "Pothole Detection Device". Why that is will become apparent the first time you take it onto a public road.
Love the video! Would be able to do a review on the dutch canta? I see that they have one at the lane motor museum and it is a really wacky dutch icon that has been in production for more than 20 years with barely any change. Would be really cool to see one on the channel!
That was an awesome episode, I loved every bit of it! Thank you so much! Now if you could walk right back in that garage/museum and start doing an episode on each of the funky cars in there, that would be lovely. I would then cancel all video streaming subs except for YT and this channel for God knows how long 😅
By 2013ish to 2016 a brazilian company sold reproductions of the Peel P50 under the name Moby M80, powered by a 66cc(chinese marketed as 80cc) 2 stroke bycicle engine, they went bankrupt(no wonder why) and later the previous owner started a new company to sell only mopeds and bycicles with 2 stroke engines. At least they had a cabrio variant which made stepping in and out easier and less claustrophobic.
Go to buyraycon.com/agingwheels to get 15% off your Raycon purchase this holiday season! Brought to you by Raycon.
Thank you for risking your life for our entertainment!
No. I couldn't care less about crappy earphones. Remove the sponsored segment and reupload the video.
@@737Garrus That is unreasonable. Robert needs to make a living too. And, Robert's sponsored segments are fun to watch. Why so negative?
@@ModelA because the headphones/in-ears he's advertising are a borderline scam? any audio related channel warns about these turds
Even though I know what raycons are, mentioning they have water filters made me visit the raycon site for the first time ever. Congrats on making the most compelling raycon ad I've ever seen.
I wish there was a documentary that interviewed people who bought these crazy European micro cars in period and actually used them as their everyday transportation. I want to hear about Hans who put this family of four in a Messerschmitt and drove it 120 miles through the snow to his in laws for Christmas
That would be great. My grandfather had an Isetta that he drove quite a bit, but it wasn't his only car.
After retirement, he drove around the countryside with my grandma and visited cafes. I remember us driving to play minigolf once.
Imagine being stuck inside this car, in the middle of the trafic with F150 like trucks all around you 🤣😂
To give you an indication of how bad these things are my mother is from The Isle of Man and she was coming of age when these things were made and one of her boyfriends had an Isetta despite living down the street from the factory that made these.
You wouldn't be able to drive this without someone picking it up and turning you around by the handle at the back. Top Gear has a lot to answer for. 😂😂😂😂
@@podfuk all around and above you 🤣
To think, this was built in the only part of the British Isles with mostly no speed limits.
One good point though, it's easy to convert it to left hand drive.
What needs to be converted?! :D
@@drippingwax well it is using a right handed steering wheel.
Back then there were no speed limits outside built up areas in the rest of the UK or much of europe either.
The door's on the left side, I count it as a LHD already.
@@drippingwaxYou just switch hands.
"Hi. Im the same guy in a different spot" what a great line.
Second guy was kinda shady.
Yeah, Raycon definitely getting their money's worth here, I don't mind an ad if it's funny.
I never skip the ads on this channel.
I think that's the first time anything in a sponsor section has ever made me laugh.
There is a guy here in the UK who bought all the rights to the p50 and trident. He still makes them either complete or in kit form and are available with a range of engines including a 110cc Honda/pit bike. Believe he was looking at ev options too
An electric one with a removable battery might almost be a sensible vehicle!
The Viking is actually really attractive, it looks like a derpy British Z car, I rather like it.
The EV option is already available as a kit option
Eddie Hall has an EV one and has been doing...interesting things with it, trying to go shopping etc
Yes, there's engine options up to 300cc now, the ev is available, and there's a convertible version, you can get one with racing stripes in a whole myriad of colors and they start around 6,000$ US if I remember correctly
I was out walking in the UK and stopped because I expected a tiny 60's moped to come around the corner and a convoy of tiny 60's microcars went past in convoy. There was a Bond microcar gathering at a nearby campsite, with a few other brands along for the ride.
My Dad had a Reliant Regal as his first family vehicle, purely because he only had a motorbike license. I remember being picked up early from school when I was five in his Reliant Regal, sadly I was going home early because my Grandad had died.
They were called Bond Minicars. I had a friend at school who owned two of them back in the very early 1970s and got to do a little work on one of them. Very strange things to drive around in. The latter of the two had a two cylinder 250cc Villiers two-stroke engine, and like all Bond Minicars, the engine was mounted over the front wheel which was attached to a vertical strut via a trailing arm suspension system. The whole thing, engine and suspension, would rotate as one. If you put the wheel over on full lock it would essentially rotate round the centre of the back axle.
Like all Bond Minicars, you could start them by opening the bonnet, putting one leg over the "grill" and use the kickstart. Some had a lawnmower type pull-start in the cabin, other later ones could have electric start with the capability of stopping the engine and starting it backwards, which gave is 4 reverse gears. It could do that as it was a two-stroke and had two sets of points (a system designed by a German company called Dynastart). It was remarkably inconvenient, it it worked at all, and it was simply easier to push the car backwards out of a parking spot and it was seldom necessary to go backwards because of that ability to essentially spin the vehicle around on the spot. No need for a three point turn on those things.
My dad's first car was a Reliant Regal, and let me tell you, after doing the 500-mile trip to his parents' in a Russian motorbike and sidecar, mum riding pillion and my little brother and I bundled up in the sidecar with frozen snotsicles out past our ears, that car was sheer luxury. He later got a Reliant Robin.
“ Easily the smallest car I’ve ever been in. Well, I mean, that makes sense.”
I was rolling 😂
As a native UK resident, I can confirm it is the home of some of the quirkiest vehicles ever designed.
It's not just the UK, although we have our fair share. Look at other European vehicles. Lots of microcars and other unusual designs. France and Italy made them, and even the Germans got in on the act. No doubt there were many others that a came and went with varying degrees of success in many countries. I'd love to try a few.
Japan has a whole K-car thing. Which yes is bigger then micro cars but... compared to an actual full blown car???
Kei cars are not that small compared to actual full blown cars as long as you are not american :D European and asian city cars are barely larger if at all.@@MasticinaAkicta
Just like the infamous Invacar, for example
That's because you had a long period where a couple of guys getting together in a shed, with a lot of beer, to make a car, was the norm. A surprising amount of them turned out semi successful.
The giddy cackling will never stop being adorable. It's so entertaining to watch someone thoroughly enjoying themselves!
It's such a shot of dopamine, I love it everytime
is he giddy or is he terrified? we may never know
@@RoamingAdhocrat Yes.
The DVLA still has details on this very car. It was built in 1964 (the "B" at the end of the number plate corroborates this) and has been untaxed since the 1st of August 1985.
The "KH" in the number plate also indicates this was registered in Hull.
and apparently the last V5C Logbook was issued on October 21st, 2005 (probably when it was imported to the US)
EDIT: I ran a DVLA check on the Bamby, and it was last taxed on August 1st, 1988 and the last V5C Logbook was issued on November 30th, 2005!
it makes sense to use it as a somewhat larger person. Every bit of added crumbling zone helps.
btw i like that that museum makes an effort to keep cars driveable and not just display pieces.
You can still buy them too. There’s a company called P50 cars that makes reproduction ones. Under 10k too, plus there’s an electric one. It’d be cool to see you build one.
Ok I lied, but a self build gas kit is under 20k
This is actually an edited variant of the video. He originally did bring up the fact that someone is making repoductions, but after some unprofessionalism, he decided against advertising they existed.
@@deefdragon Carbon fiber is the new fiberglass. Plus it's really cheap to get polystyrene forms made by someone with a robot.
Three e-bike motors, with a battery pan would be fun.
The battery on the bottom would make it pretty stable too.
I would want mine to look like a Porsche 550 Spyder. Call it "Mini Bastard".
I honestly feel like things like this are the best of RUclips. A creator has fun, makes content, and I have fun watching making me plan a trip to a physical small business (car museum) with my family when we go to Nashville again. Everyone wins.
Clarkson in the P45 was even scarier
This shows nicely why there's motorcycles and cars: Anything inbetween is a mess with the worst from both worlds. The Bamby also very nicely demonstrates the validity of Rule 11 of RFC1925: "Every old idea will be proposed again with a different name and a different presentation, regardless of whether it works."
"Is this really a car?" A valid question! Here in Sweden it would legally be considered a motorcycle since it's only got three wheels. Or a moped, had it been restricted to a top speed of 19 mph. However one classifies this weird vehicle, I want to drive one! The Trident however, I want that!! I'd drive it around with one of those aluminium foil looking 50's scifi suits on, and by my side a girlfriend from another planet! Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrah, but some day....
Thanks for uploading!
Being legally considered a motorcycle (for tax and/or licensing purposes) was the whole point of three-wheelers like this, so chances are that if there's a country where it's officially a car, they weren't available when they were new.
@@stevethepocket That's a good point!
It looks like a toy car at first with a gas engine.
@@stevethepocketAlso, the reason those didn't have a reverse gear. Imported Isettas even had their reverse gear mechanically blocked off to be motorcycles. For a front-entry car, that was quite risky, as parking too close to a wall would trap you inside.
@@HenryLoenwind Luckily, you'd just have to ask for a couple of lads to pull you backwards.
The Isetta weighs ~1,000 pounds. Put it in neutral, and I presume a couple of guys or one particularly strong one could pull it for a short distance.
Greetings from a very cold and wet Isle of Man! I always find it ironic that at the same time this was being built on the island, the TT races saw incredible developments in motorcycle technology, especially from the Japanese manufacturers. Just think: at the same time the P50 was unleashed onto Manx roads, so was the sublime Honda RC165. Maybe not at the same exact time but hey..
The shifting makes sense, it's basically the gear box from a scooter/bike too, neutral is usually between 1st and second.
One of my favourite cars ever alongside the beetle, robin reliant & ford capri. When I visited the Isle of Man in 2019 to learn Morse code from another HAM operator, an ex-rally car driver drove us all around the island (at very illegal speeds) and we finished in Peel to see the abandoned factory of the Peel P50 and Trident.
The Lane Museum is on my bucket list. I just love all these little oddball cars.
That’s one of my favorite places on earth. Lane Motor Museum is always fun!
That long shot where you can still hear Robert laughing from inside the car is just the best.
Love it. That gearbox sounds like it is a bike one. My first bike has gears that were 1 down, 3 up. Very similar to your 1 forward and 2 back.
It's like on most 49cc mopeds in the 60s.
If it's a sequential box (likely) the first is below neutral and everything else is on the other side. This is quite common especially on smaller motorcycle engines.
That is most definitely motorcycle shifting. First is down, all the rest goes up.
Yeah, scooters back then often had a twist grip shifter, with the gear pattern being. Its not quite the same as a modern motorcycle shifter as there was no ratchet mechanism and every gear is a different position on the grip but very similar. The shifter on the peel likely just operates that mechanism.
The description immediately reminded me of a motorcycle transmission. They're weird if you're used to a car, but make a ton of sense if you're shifting with your foot.
I have once seen an original green P50 in a local car show many years ago (here in Finland). And yes, it was a really tiny car.
Was it the most popular car at the show?
Presumably a summer-only car. I can't imagine it handling snow very well.
Thanks for mentioning the bamby I was literally crossing my fingers hoping that you would raise awareness of it. I can't believe how much more roomy and comfortable the bamby looks
I got to ride in a Peel Trident years ago at the Unique Little Car Show in Long Beach. 15mph through the parking lot with your face at about SUV bumper height was pretty terrifying, even to somebody who's driven things like Subaru 360s and Fiat 500s.
10:34 best clip from this lovely channel
It's called a Peel because it has the structural integrity of the outer casing of a lemon.
The similarities do not end there, either.
one of the few channels where I actually watch the ad break as they are so funny.
You're not going to trick me into watching a Crapcon ad!
I remember seeing the bubble dome version on the roads and similar things like the Isetta, they were the next step up from the invacar for those who couldn't handle the shame. and TBH you can clearly see its a replica of sorts, the inside is different and the wheels shouldn't be doing that, I hope you get to drive a full blown original one day.
good thing it only goes 25 miles per hour cause if it gets into a crash your Doomed
I lived 2 miles from Lane Motor Museum for about 6 years and never visited. As a fan of your channel I greatly regret that decision now. Keep up the great work!
Robert folded himself into the P50 the way he would fold himself into a student desk at a local middle school
I would rather say he put on the P50. 🤣
@@Colaholiker Fifty percent more sturdy than a cardboard box Gundam, it only fails to be one. At least it's red...
Thank you for this wonderful video, and thank you to Lane Motor Museum for letting you make this video. I wold love to see a more in dept video of the bamby. I have been to the museum and could easily spend weeks there looking through their exhibits, we would love to see more of these types of videos.😃
There's a reproduction available as a kit online, ranging from 12k pounds up to 20k+ depending on the options you choose. You too could be the proud owner of a tippy block of cheese!
wow that's one heavy peel p50
(I'm American so my first thought was pounds as in the unit of weight lol)
He can buy it in an electric version too, even
You can also buy a cabrio version 😂
@Xatzimi it even does 50mph. How scary 😂
This is actually an edited variant of the video. He originally did bring up the fact that someone is making repoductions, but after some unprofessionalism, he decided against advertising they existed.
The windshiled wiper and exhaust pipe are adorable! It's like your own cartoon car!
I just realized why you could tip it easier from the left side, as you said the engine is side mounted, it’s on the right side. The other thing the aisle of Mann is known for it motorcycle riding.
I would guess the scooter the engine was designed for used a twist shifter on the left handgrip and the shift lever is attached via two cables in the exact same way the twist shift would be. My Vespa has the same shift pattern, so it may have been common. It's also possible that the donor scooter or a variant was offered with a lever shift. The switches in the center of the steering wheel are also similar to those on my Vespa. I get the feeling that they may have imported complete scooters and pulled all the useful bits off to build these p50s. That also assumes this example was built in the same manner as the production models.
Yup, I don't think CVT scooters were that popular back then.
i just love every single new childish video from this guy i can't help myself
You are the only creator, that i never skip the add or sponsor part because you make them so good!!!
Y'gotta love the Lane Motor Museum... because they have a Peel. _(rimshot)_
I feel like that car was a serious attempt to make a road capable version of the Little Tikes Cozy Coupe. It's just missing the yellow roof and more driver protection.
There is a man in the U.K. that actually built a road legal and road capable Little Tikes Car…
0:01 - Is that yellow one the Cyclops mini-car? From the Road and Track Magazine cartoons?
100 grand at auction? If that’s not money laundering I don’t know what is
I need this.
Not to show of wealth and prestige but to show off my insane lack of self-preservation.
They're sittin' there doing the BBC world news, live, on the air, and Clarkson just cruises past in the background! 🤣🤣🤣
The lane auto museum is awesome! Drove there from Michigan with my GF. Loved it!
A DKW engine... The Trabant motor was also based on a DKW engine, so it's almost like they are very distant cousins. (And the first Trabant was also a P50, but that's just coincidence.)
Wow look close enough and you realize what you're looking at is the cockpit section of an obviously too small airplane that got grounded before it could be brought to market so a tiny car for a small island was created.
Just visited the Lane Motor Museum for the first time today with my wife! It was super cool to see this place in person and admire the vehicles they have. I especially loved the Lotus exhibit they have in currently. So glad i discovered this place from your vids!
This thing really throws the "More windows or Doors" argument...
....out the window
8:26 It appears they went a little heavy on the motor oil when mixing the fuel haha
Weirdest thing is how it's manual. I totally would've guessed it to have a belt drive CVT like a scooter.
Fitting a manual to a 49cc motor is just insane
@@sys-administratorI suspect that a 1960s CVT wouldn't stand up to much wear and tear, material science wasn't anywhere near as sophisticated back then
I visit this museum a lot too!! It’s cool to know how close you are!
Man hearing gear grinding coming from that little nugget is absolutely hilarious!
The P50 makes your Polish toddler look like a teenager!
And the Robin like a stationwagon
@@mrjed6912 Right?!?
9:53 The Bamby looks like it's hiding a kick-start mini-bike under it. They didn't even try to disguise it. If you pull out the panel with the cup holder, there's probably still a seat in there :)
People from the past were braver than today.
3:52 A lovely metallic green Lotus Elite in the background.
In this episode, Robert drives a leaf blower(said with a Clarkson accent).
Absolutely love tiny cars, they always have the funniest driving dynamics. However, if you're in the mood for something bigger, have you ever thought of touring the LARC-LX 1959 5-ton amphibious vehicle in the background of the parking lot you use for test drives at the museum? It's more of a ship than a car, to be perfectly honest. They prolly won't let you drive it, but it could be fun to see!
I think people should build modern replicas of these with proper roll cages and safety seats, and then race them. It'd be hilarious. Roll it going round a corner? Just get out, pick it up again, and continue.
PFFFTTTT..the way you sat in it with your head all tilted sideways got me :))))))
I remember having something just like this as a kid. Mine was peddal powered though.
Robert, your ability to find and show these cars is epic! I love your video's.
This kind of reminds me of those vehicles they had in the UK for people that were disabled. I think this was the 60s or 70s. Small vehicles for people to get around town. I can't remember the name though.
Invacar?
Technically they were motorcycles. They were a trike per the licencing authorities.
It was indeed called the Invacar. They were given to disabled people free if they could get a licence to drive a moped.
Weird times.
Some invacars still exist in private collections.
Invacar - Ian Seabrook of @hubnut fame has one and a whole series of videos about it. Uses it as a somewhat daily driver
There's an Invacar in the opening scene of Ali G Indahouse, where Ali steals the disabled parking bay from him.
I am a big fan of yours and I too love quirky cars. I own one of the few remaining Solectria, Geo Metro, electric cars on the planet. Range is now around 10-20 miles and I would never take it on the highway. I love it.
That's been made by converting an actual Suzuki production car which means it stops, steers and likely doesn't tip. That's several orders of magnitude more street worthy than the P50 ^^ Also I hope Robert sees this, maybe one day he'll have a comprehensive playlist with all the weird electric cars.
dank pods will be sad to see the sponsorship
Fantastic Tea Shelf on that Bamby! Furious Driving would be thrilled!
Ore no peanuts
I live in a small town in argentina called Las Flores and my grandad had a locally build red bmw isetta 600. Wich he used to go to his farm just outside of town. He told me it was great because he used it to go in a small muddy road and if the thing got stuck he would just yank it and keep going. Beautiful cars.
We need to start showing kids things like this and then putting them through a fabrication class. If you did this every semester, absolutely seniors in highschool would be able to meet or exceed this standard, probably give them some college credit. Like it would help so much if this thing had 4 wheels, and I don't think that'd be an egregious requirement. The fiberglass is perhaps a little ambitious because it's all or mostly one piece and structural. Doing electric instead would greatly improve the stability. Researching assembled vehicle requirements in Michigan, plexiglass windshields are banned... that might complicate this a lot...
if that is a car it's a baby smart car🤣🤣🤣
That would be a fascinating project. It's essentially a trike in a fancy hat, but there are some wrinkles like the proper steering wheel. You could use _some_ modular parts from small cars --- cheap, reliable, and easy to source --- but things like building the steering assembly would have to be made from scratch. Not complicated, but not trivial either.
@@bewilderbeestie or just add a gas engine to a bumper car🤣🤣🤣
boat building apprentices learn fiberglass lamination too, sometimes on a whim when the company decides it needs a few parts done, so it wouldn"t be too much to ask for to do this in a fabrication class
I went to Nashville for Thanksgiving, and thanks to your last video, I knew the Motor Museam existed! It was a great experience and the basement was amazing.
Precisamos de mais carros assim, atualizados, para o dia a dia
Especially here in the States where the opposite is true!
Robert: "The rear? Too soft. The front? Too stiff."
Me: *snickering*
Robert: "That is the *worst* clutch I've ever felt."
Me: "that's what she said"
As always, the gleeful giggles make it, & istg I would pay cash money to go around the Lane museum & hear you talk about all the whacky cars they have. Love it.
All you needed to complete that video Rob was Benny Hill slapping Jackie Wright across his baldy heed. LOVE IT MATE. ❤
I honestly thought this was one of those plastic toy cars that little kids get in and push along with their feet when I saw the thumbnail for this video.
If I add all knew what I was doing I could probably redesign this into a proper tiny car.
the only guy who's sponsor reads I never skip, they're too good 😂
aaah, the 'I'm the same guy but in a different spot!' gets a chef's kiss
Shift pattern is from a motorcycle. While not likely a motorcycle transmission, it shares the pattern 1-N-2-3-4-5
I watched in amazement as the driver opened the FRONT of the car. What!!? Rome, 17 yrs old. It was old - BMW or Isetta - but with the narrow streets it made perfect sense. Fascinating.
Finally, the video we've all been waiting for Robert to make!!!
I had one of those red and yellow plastic Little Tikes foot-powered cars as a kid... It had 4 wheels and was a little bit smaller but the resemblance is still pretty spot on
I’ve really got to go to Nashville and visit the Lane Museum!
From one Robert to another, thanks for doing these videos!
That cute car would be welcome in my animated town.
It's like two people were trying to design a vehicle, and one wanted a car while the other wanted a bike. They never argued, but never properly communicated their ideas between each other either.
lmao. Brother, your ads are the only one's that I don't skip through.
I love how one of the most wholesome and happy go lucky channels on RUclips God, sponsored by a freaking p. Star😂😂😂
Looking at the last shot makes me kind of want one. But black or grey so I can put a brim on it and make it look like a bowler hat.
There's a lot of interesting and beautiful cars in the background there. Would be great to see a tour of the place.
This is the best combination of shots 4:23
Robert is the only RUclipsr that can make Raycons seem appealing
Robert's definitely got something about tiny car's.
and so do the British people.
I would have liked to see him driving that nice blue sports car in the background.
Maniacal giggles means only one thing... you're having loads of fun!!!
When you covered the Ami, I figured you have other Lane cars. Full of the oddball stuff you love. Don't ignore the LARC. That would be the perfect contrast too the P50.
I can't belive they only made 50 examples of this ridiculous contraption!
It should be noted that the German term for these, applied originally to the Messerschmidt Kabinenroller and BMW Isetta, but later also to this whole class of vehicle, is "Schlaglochsuchgerät", or "Pothole Detection Device".
Why that is will become apparent the first time you take it onto a public road.
Love the video! Would be able to do a review on the dutch canta? I see that they have one at the lane motor museum and it is a really wacky dutch icon that has been in production for more than 20 years with barely any change. Would be really cool to see one on the channel!
That was an awesome episode, I loved every bit of it! Thank you so much! Now if you could walk right back in that garage/museum and start doing an episode on each of the funky cars in there, that would be lovely. I would then cancel all video streaming subs except for YT and this channel for God knows how long 😅
By 2013ish to 2016 a brazilian company sold reproductions of the Peel P50 under the name Moby M80, powered by a 66cc(chinese marketed as 80cc) 2 stroke bycicle engine, they went bankrupt(no wonder why) and later the previous owner started a new company to sell only mopeds and bycicles with 2 stroke engines.
At least they had a cabrio variant which made stepping in and out easier and less claustrophobic.
really wish you had your own motoring programme, love your funny videos
This museum seems like the perfect place for him. Like a kid in horrible and forgotten cars shop