A collection of microcars dating from 1954 to 1992 that once formed the basis of a husband and wife’s automotive museum is set to fetch more than £190,000 at auction.
The trove of 47 tiny cars includes a rare Peel P50 – the world’s smallest production car – dating from 1965, which is tipped to sell for up to £100,000.
Presenter Jeremy Clarkson famously drove an identical-looking Peel P50 around BBC Television Centre during an episode of Top Gear.
The car collection was built up over more than 40 years by Edwin and Jean Hammond, who bought their first microcar – a 1957 bright green Heinkel named Kermit – for their son in 1976 after he asked for a motorbike.
When their purchases continued, they then bought an old pig farm in the village of Hawkenbury, Kent.
After Mr Hammond’s death, Mrs Hammond moved the collection to a purpose-built museum near the family home in 2003.
Now, with elderly Mrs Hammond having moved into a care home, the collection is being sold along with dozens of spare parts and memorabilia via Charterhouse Auctioneers in Dorset later this month.
A collection of microcars dating from 1954 to 1992 that once formed the basis of a husband and wife’s automotive museum is set to fetch more than £190,000 at auction. The trove of 47 tiny cars includes a rare Peel P50 dating from 1965, which is tipped to sell for up to £100,000
Only 47 Peels were made during the original production run between 1962 and 1965. It remains the smallest production car of all time. Above: The car’s minimalist interior only has space for the driver
Presenter Jeremy Clarkson famously drove an identical-looking Peel P50 around BBC Television Centre during an episode of Top Gear
Clarkson drove a Peel P50 through the offices of the BBC during an episode of Top Gear in 2008.
Only 47 Peels were made during the original production run between 1962 and 1965. It remains the smallest production car of all time.
The cars were made at Peel’s factory on the Isle of Man. Only 26 are known to survive. It is just 53 inches (134cm) long and 39 inches (99cm) wide.
Its wheels measure a little over four inches in diameter and it gets its power from a 49cc moped engine that has just 4.5 horse power.
The car, which has just one seat and three gears, has a top speed of 38mph. It also has no reverse gear but does have a grab handle that allows owners to lift it onto its front wheel.
When it originally went on sale, it was priced at £199.
Auctioneer Richard Bromell said: ‘This fabulous and fascinating collection of microcars has been built up over the past 40 plus years by Edwin and Jean Hammond.’
The car collection was built up over more than 40 years by Edwin and Jean Hammond, who bought their first microcar – a 1957 bright green Heinkel named Kermit – for their son in 1976 after he asked for a motorbike
The Heinkel has three wheels – one at the back and two at the front. It was built in Dunkald, Ireland and was affectionally named ‘Kermit’, thanks to its bright green colour scheme
A Scootacar Mark I, which was beautifully restored by Mr and Mrs Hammond after being found behind a hedge, could sell for up to £12,000
Instead of a steering wheel, the Scootacar Mark I features handlebar-like controls more reminiscent of a motorbike or bicycle
This Velorex three-wheeled car was one of thousands produced from the 1950s until 1971 in what was then Czechoslovakia. It is being sold without a price estimate
The Velorex is said to have been driven by a Polish student from his home country to London, where he sold the vehicle because he had no money
‘Edwin loved his microcars and was well known for saving them from the scrap yard.
‘Once, he famously bought a burnt out Isetta in exchange for a pile of scrap, which many of his friends remarked nobody could see the difference!’
Mr and Mrs Hammond bought their son his car when he asked for a motorbike for his 15th birthday.
Unnerved by the prospect of him driving a motorbike, they instead invested in the three-wheeled Heinkel, which is tipped to sell for up to £9,000.
Mr Hammond then set about restoring the car with his son. The collector then became fascinated with microcars and, according to his wife, ‘started collecting willy nilly’.
Most were bought for a minimal sum, given that micocars were then unpopular and many were saved from the scrapheap.
This 1959 Frisky Family Three was built by British firm Frisky Cars Ltd. It has two wheels at the front and one at the back. The car was driven to Germany in 1981 and journeyed up the Harz Mountains
The car was driven to Germany in 1981 and journeyed up the Harz Mountains. It is tipped to sell for up to £12,000, but could fetch more. Because it has been on static display, it is in need of some recommissioning
This three-wheeled car, a 1954 Allard Clipper, was one of the first to be built with a body made from glass fibre and one of the last vehicles to feature a ‘Dickey’ seat, which folded out at the back, in place of a boot
The Clipper is powered by a 346 cc Villiers single cylinder engine. Only 20 made and just three survive worldwide. It is expected to sell for up to £7,0000
This 1957 Opperman Sterling is one of just two that were made. The above is the second car that was made and is the only survivor
The Opperman Sterling is left-hand drive and could sell for up to £17,000. Because it has been on static display, it will be in need of recommissioning
This 1960 Messerschmitt KR200 is in its original condition and has had just one previous owner, a woman who lived in Dorset
The car, which could sell for up to £12,000, was built by the same firm that manufactured German fighter planes during the Second World War
This 1955 New Map Solyto is a very basic truck that was built for French farmers to take their pigs to market in. It is being sold without an estimate or reserve
The car features a totally bare interior, with just one small dial, a basic steering wheel and a single metal chair for the driver
Another car up for sale is a 1957 Glas Goggomobil, which could sell for £7,000. The car was built by Hans Glas GmbH in Germany
It boasts innovative sliding windows and was first restored by Mr Hammond in 1980, before the family gave it the once over again in 1996
In 1980, Mrs Hammond founded the RUMcars (Register of Unusual Microcars) group, which continues to this day.
The second most valuable car in the collection – after the Peel P50 – is a blue Opperman Stirling, which dates from 1959.
It is the only surviving model of just two that were made and is set to sell for up to £17,000.
A Scootacar Mark I, which was beautifully restored by Mr and Mrs Hammond after being found behind a hedge, could sell for up to £12,000.
Another car up for sale is a 1957 Glas Goggomobil, which could sell for £7,000.
The auction takes place on October 27 at Charterhouse’s Sherborne salerooms.
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