While the world is busy searching for the fastest, greenest, or most efficient cars; we would like you to meet five of the smallest cars ever produced. Practical when it comes to parking and extremely creative, these classic cars may be small in size, but are big in impact! And not to forget - since most of these cars are rare and have an iconic status - they are incredibly interesting when you are a collector looking for a great showpiece or a great investment. Here are 5 of the smallest cars ever produced!
5. Commuter Cars Tango
Not the smallest car in the world, but the most modern in our list. While the other cars we have featured date much further back, this one was born in the 21st century - and driven by none less than George Clooney! The Tango was designed for short, solo rides with the security of a sports car and the agility of a motorcycle. At just 99 cm wide, the Commuter Cars Tango is even thinner than the average motorcycle, but can still be driven on the traffic lane. Optional, that is, since it can go a maximum of 240 km/h. It can seat two persons in a tandem seating arrangement and it is much more stable than it looks!
4. Brütsch Mopetta
Egon Brütsch needed a small car to show off at the 1956 International Bicycle and Motorcycle Exhibition. The result: the Mopetta. An egg-shaped, single-seat three wheeler. The 1958 Mopetta – the last edition, unfortunately – was 1.70 m long and 0.88 m wide. It weighed only 78 kg. Just 14 Mopettas were built, and today only 5 are known to have survived the passage of time. For a brief period, it seemed like Opel were going to distribute the car commercially, but since they never did, this is now a great collector’s item!
3. Isetta
A typical ‘bubble car’, this Isetta is an egg- shaped microcar with bubble-like windows. First built in 1953 by the Italian company Iso (Isetta means ‘little Iso’), the BMW 1955 version of the Isetta was the top-selling single-cylinder car in the world. To get in the car, you need to use the single door in the front. Part of the reason the Isetta got so popular is because in those days there was a shortage of materials, due to World War ΙΙ. A compact car was much cheaper and these kinds of minicars provided the answer in a time where the demand for covered means of transport was high!
2. Eshelman Sport Car de Luxe
This is probably the smallest car in the world in terms of width; the Adult de Luxe version measures only 24 in (610 mm) wide. As you can see from the fun design, Eshelman was also great at producing children’s cars – as well as aircrafts and tractors. The Eshelman Adult Sport Car de Luxe today is worth about €20,000. It is incredibly small, but not covered, like our number one mini-car below…
1. Peel P50
This cute and tiny car has held the Guinness World Record of smallest car for half a century. With one door and one headlight, Peel Engineering considers it is a symbol of automotive minimalism. It was originally manufactured from 1962 to 1965 but was re-manufactured in 2010. The vintage Peel P50 is a great collector’s item with character: it has no reverse gear, but the lightweight car can be picked up and carried if you like! Only 27 of the original Peel P50s are known to exist and can be worth a lot! Last year, a Peel P50 was auctioned for €124,543!
Fallen in love with these minicars? Keep an eye on our Classic Car auction to see if one pops up! Register here if you want to put a car up for auction.