You have the engine
and the running gear from a quad bike. But you will note it has lights
and indicators and a number plate. It's passed all the Government tests,
which means you can drive it on the road. Are you seriously suggesting
that that is an actual car? -I promise it's a real car.
-What's it called? Ah! Well, that's brilliant. Because it's shorter and narrower
than a Peel P50, I've called it the P45. Now I'm going to test it. What,
you're going to test a car that you built? -Yes.
-What are we going to do next week? VW tests its new Golf? Shut up! I'm going to be completely
unbiased, as you shall see. I began on the track. And having determined very quickly
that the P45 was exquisite in every way, I took it onto the public highway. I should make it plain this is
the Base L model that I'm driving now, but there are some optional extras. Nothing wrong. Edit that out. There is, for instance, the deluxe wash
wipe option which costs just £1.99. Good. And also, for just £500,
this does come with satellite navigation. There's the sat nav. You just hold it up
and see where you're going. The P45 is designed to deal
with all eventualities. I'm relaxed. So, I decided to join the main road. Yes, look at this! Look at this!
Very brilliant. Oh my God! If you're watching this in the edit,
make sure that doesn't go on television. I don't want people thinking
it's a death trap. It happened again! Edit that out as well. I can't believe how quiet
the roads are this morning. I'm barely seeing any traffic at all. As I neared Guildford, I did find a jam, but this was no problem
for the super-narrow P45. The speed machine is coming through! Nothing wrong! Oh, yes! This is incredible. Ladies and gentlemen, you are witnessing
the birth of the future. I'm just staggered
that Ford, General Motors, Toyota, all the automotive giants,
haven't thought to make a car like this. And yet, a poky little motoring show
on BBC... This is the way to drive the P45,
I've just decided, with your face on the windscreen...
then it can't sort of smash into it. So, for local commuting,
my car is faultless. But what if you want to go further afield? Well, to find out,
I pulled into a petrol station and without even getting out,
I brimmed its tank. Good. Damn! I only have a 1.7-litre fuel tank, but the minimum delivery here
is two litres. Discreetly, I squirted
the difference into a bin. I didn't see anything. Then I fired up the two-stroke,
100cc engine and set off to London. Technically, I'm legally allowed
to drive the P45 on motorways and dual carriageways. So, to see how it gets on,
I'm about to join the fearsome A3. Here we go. I've never been frightened
of a Citroen Picasso before! I just was! A van! I've got a weave on! Oh, yes! Help me! Help! Help! How fast is that now? Thirty-four! Lorry, lorry, lorry, lorry! A lot of poo shot out then! So, while this may be completely legal,
it's also completely terrifying. However, the advantage of a car this small is that you don't have to take it
on dual carriageways. In fact, you don't have to use
the main roads at all. What you do instead is
you drive it to the railway station, but instead of leaving it in the car park
to be vandalised and stolen, you take it on the train with you. Now, I will be honest. None of the train companies
we contacted would play ball. So, I'm using the coach instead. Coach is good.
Coach is better than a train. Fewer diseases on a coach. And of course,
when you get to the big city, you don't have to use the tube or the bus,
because you have your car with you. Oh, dear. Just cut the cameras. In London, I went for a little drive. Yes! All sorts of hand signals available. I can go... If I want to go left, right,
somebody annoys me. And then I went shopping. And with the P45, there's no need to pay. Or waste time looking for a parking space. Oh, dear. Of course, a Peel P50 also fits in a lift, but because it has no reverse gear,
you can't back it out again. Unless there's a newsreader to hand. This, though, does have a reverse gear. So, here we go. Now, I know what you're thinking. There's no way you'd be allowed to drive
around here with a two-stroke engine belching fumes into the faces
of all the baby children. But here's the thing. You see, the P45 is a hybrid.
so, when you come inside, you can disconnect the petrol engine and
connect up a couple of electric motors. A very simple job. You simply take off a wheel,
connect a free-wheeling hub... I mean, it takes a couple of guys...
minutes.
