The three-wheeled Peel Trident was designed by Cyril Cannell and first produced by the Peel Engineering Co, based in the Isle of Man, from 1965–1966.
The car was available as a two-seater or a single-seater with a shopping basket at the side. Most units were powered by a 49 cc DKW air-cooled engine, but some were fitted with a 98 cc Triumph Tina motor-cycle engine. The Trident’s distinctive bubble perspex top hinged upwards to allow access,[1] but the design was not universally admired; the motoring journalist Dan Neil described the Trident as “Less a car than a 5th-grade science project on seed germination”.[2]
The car was resurrected in 2010 by Gary Hillman and Faizal Khan, who went on the television show Dragons’ Den asking for £80,000 to begin remanufacturing the Trident and the Peel P50. The entrepreneur James Caan supplied the investment in return for 30 per cent of the new company, Peel Engineering Ltd. The new Trident is offered with a choice of two power units: a 49 cc four-stroke CVT engine or an electric 2.5 kW CVT motor giving a slightly higher top speed of 31 miles per hour (50 km/h) and a range of 15 miles (24 km). All-wheel braking and a Kinetic Recovery System are also included.[3]
| Manufacturer: | Peel Engineering Co (1965–1966 Peel Engineering Ltd (2011–present) |
| Production: | 1965–1966 45[1] |
| Top speed: | 28 miles per hour (45 km/h) |
The dimensions of the new Trident remain unchanged from the original: 72 inches (183 cm) in length and 42 inches (107 cm) wide.[3]