Peel Engineering Company
 | |
| Company type | Limited Company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Vehicles |
| Founded | Late 1940s |
| Defunct | 1974 |
| Headquarters | Peel, Isle of Man |
Key people |
|
The Peel Engineering Company was a manufacturing company based in Peel on the west coast of the Isle of Man that primarily made fibreglass boats through its subsidiary company West Marine Ltd. and fairings for motorcycles.[1]
History
[edit]
Cyril Cannell founded the Peel Engineering Company in Peel in the late 1940s.[2] At first he mainly manufactured GRP fairings for motorcycles and cars. The sports fairings were recognisable for their styling with integral 'blisters' enclosing the handlebar-ends and rider's hands, and were available for racing, named Mountain Mile, with a similar sports-style for road use incorporating a distinctive, large rectangular Cibié headlamp, named Peel 707. A different design was for touring, aptly named TT Tourer.[3][4] In 1955 Cannell built the first Peel minicar. The company also built an experimental hovercraft design in 1961 powered by a 500 cc Triumph engine.[5]
On 31 December 1964 the company was renamed Peel Engineering Limited.[2] Another source gives 8 January 1965 as the date of dissolution of the original company.[6] The directors were Cyril Cannell and George Henry Kissack.[2] In 1965, Peel arranged for all fairing production to be transferred under licence to Mike Ivory of Luton, Bedfordshire, England. Prototype and development work continued in the Isle of Man.[7]
Peel Engineering developed the Peel Manxcar concept vehicle, and the Peel P-1000 4 wheeled microcars, and the Peel P50 and Peel Trident 3 wheeled microcars, in addition to the Peel Viking Sport and prototype GRP Minis for BMC.[8][9] These models constitute the only automobiles manufactured on the Isle of Man. A limited-run Peel Manxkart go-kart was also produced. The Peel P50 is in the Guinness Book Of World Records as the world's smallest production car.
In 1966 Peel stopped producing cars, concentrating again on motorcycle fairings and – under the name West Marine Ltd. – on the construction of fiberglass boats, especially small fishing boats with outboard motors such as the Peel Inshoreman 18.[10]
After the death of George Henry Kissack on 16 March 1972, his widow Eileen May Kissack became director on 3 November 1972.[2] She resigned from the post on 25 November 1973 and was replaced by Alice Victoria Maud Cannell on 30 November 1973.[2] On 10 May 1974, the owners decided to dissolve the company, which was then carried out on 29 August 1974.[2] Another source confirms 29 August 1974 as the dissolution date.[6]
Further use of the name Peel and replicas
[edit]In August 2010, it was announced that two British entrepreneurs, Gary Hillman and Faizal Khan from Peel Engineering in Sidcup, founded in 2008, were rebuilding the P50 almost to its original state.[11][12] Instead of the 45 cc petrol engine used at the time, an electric motor now drives the single rear wheel. The new edition, which will only be produced in 50 units, will also have a reverse gear. The price of the car per unit will be around 15,300 euros.[13]
Arthur Alan Evans produces replicas of the Peel P50 in his Gainsborough- based company Bambycars, which he founded in 2011.[14][15]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ The small car with the big reputation, bbc.co.uk, 29 March 2008, retrieved 9 December 2011
- ^ a b c d e f Edwards, Barry (2014). P50. Peel Engineering's Extraordinary Legacy. The Story of the world's smallest production car. Ramsey: Lily Publications. ISBN 978-1-907945-76-2.
- ^ Motor Cycle, 23 September 1965, Advert p.18 Peel Race-Bred Fairings. TT Tourer, 707 Sports, Mountain Mile Sports, 351 Dallow Road Luton Beds. Accessed and added 26 October 2014
- ^ Motor Sport Magazine archive, October 1976, p. 54 A visit to Cibié Retrieved 26 October 2014
- ^ "I.o.M. Hovercraft". The Motor Cycle. 106 (3007). Coventry: Illife Specialist Publications Ltd.: 119 26 January 1961.
- ^ a b "www.opencorporates.com on Peel Engineering Company from the Isle of Man". opencorporates.com. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
- ^ Motor Cycle, 23 September 1965, p.433 Brighton Show. Accessed and added 26 October 2014
- ^ "Manxcar - Peel Cars". www.peelcars.com. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
- ^ "P-1000 - Peel Cars". www.peelcars.com. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
- ^ Beyer, Andreas (April 2016). "Straßen-Floh. Leben unter der Käseglocke: Peel Trident". Oldtimer Markt (in German) (4). VF Verlagsgesellschaft mbH: 44–47. ISSN 0943-7320.
- ^ "www.opencorporates.com on Peel Engineering Limited from Sidcup". opencorporates.com. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
- ^ "Website of Peel Engineering from Sidcup". Archived from the original on 1 January 2011. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
- ^ "Insel-Isetta: Neuauflage des small Autos der Welt" (in German). 25 August 2010. Archived from the original on 29 August 2010.
- ^ "www.opencorporates.com on Bambycars Limited from Gainsborough". opencorporates.com. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
- ^ "Website of Bambycars Limited from Gainsborough". Archived from the original on 3 May 2017. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
External links
[edit]- Website of a UK company that produces replicas of some of the original Peel cars
- Owners' club website for owners of original & reproductions of the Peel cars
