If you’re looking for a truly unique car, this little round green machine is just what you’re looking for.
The Pea Car: a one-off green commercial vehicle with body panels
The round, self-destructive and strange Green Pea Car is a truly unique example and will undoubtedly earn you a few looks down the road. Only one was ever made, and it only served one purpose, but we think it’s a fantastic looking creation with Kei Car/Isetta hallmarks all over it. For true uniqueness, the Pea Car is about as strange as it gets.
You may be wondering why you’ve never seen a Pea Car on the road; the reason is that it was made in 2005 for a Birds Eye food commercial. The Pea Car was built as a marketing gimmick. In the commercial we see the Pea Car driving through the English countryside in all its shiny green glory.
Everything seems normal at first, but body parts and body panels fall off as it is driven. By the time it reaches the front of a house at the end of the commercial, it’s nothing but the frame and engine. The idea was to make it clear that Birds Eye frozen peas last longer and lose less nutrients from the store to home.
No, it’s not a Kei car
Although the Pea Car may look like it was built by a Japanese automaker one of the many cool Kei Cars we can now get a run-off, or even a run-off, of something like the Messerschmitt KR200 or BMW Isetta, as unique commercial vehicles are called, the Pea Car stands alone. Its small footprint, cute appearance and almost toy-like proportions may look Kei car-esque, but it has absolutely nothing to do with these regulations.
It was in fact designed and built in London by a company called Asylum. The Pea Car was never intended to comply with road safety regulations, size limits or any road classification; the small pea-shaped design is purely for aesthetics and to look striking in front of the camera. We’d say they did a good job. Although it may look good small economical car to drive through a city, it actually has no legitimacy at all; it would be nice (to a point), but it’s not possible.
Based on an off-road go-kart with Beetle parts
Under that shiny green shell, the Pea Car is much more DIY than it looks. Instead of using a car platform, the designers opted for a basic off-road go-kart chassis with a lightweight tubular frame that was easy to adjust. The go-kart’s independent front suspension, steering column, steering gear and disc brakes remained largely intact. Thanks to its easily modified rugged backbone, the Pea Car was strong enough to survive countless takes and is convenient (once modified) to hang the pea body design on.
A few real car parts were used for the exterior; most recognizable are the headlights, which are taken from a classic Volkswagen Beetle. The turn signals come from a Lancia, but in terms of appearance that’s about it. As is probably an understatement, most of the construction is custom; the door mirrors are made by a specialist accessories shop and the bright fiberglass green body panels are made in-house by Asylum. Asylum also ensured that the panels not only looked like a pea, but also fell when they should, without damaging the chassis or driver.
The Jaguar Type 00 looks just as bizarre in real life
Jaguar has released the Type 00 into the wild and it looks like someone photoshopped it into reality.
It’s not road legal, but only if it is
It may go without saying, but the Pea Car is one of the fun cars that are not allowed on the road. There are virtually no safety features; Other than the chassis (possibly), we’re not sure how it would fare in a crash, and the idea is for the body panels to fall off. There is no crumple zone, airbags or standard lighting; the Pea Car was unfortunately only created as a prop for the Birds Eye commercial.
When the Birds Eye commercial was filmed, roads had to be closed and a stunt driver was used for the filming. You can pick up a bit of speed in this awesome little pea, and it looks fun to blast around, but without being a very skilled driver, we imagine it would be very dangerous and nerve-wracking. Perfect for the screen, not for on the go.
The engine under the… Pod: What makes the pea car move
Despite being a prop, the Pea Car wasn’t just pushed around for camera footage; it has a real engine under its shell. Engineers equipped it with one Honda motorcycle engine mid-chassis mounted, chosen for its small size and because there are millions of them, rather than any form of performance guts. The Pea Car’s Honda engine is mated to a single-speed setup, meaning no gears need to be shifted; it relies on a simple drivetrain to power the rear wheels.
Unfortunately, no exact information about the engine capacity has been confirmed, but it is generally agreed that the engine is from a small capacity Honda motorcycle, probably somewhere between 250 and 400 cc. Although not the fastest small car in the world, the use of the Honda engine made Pea Car look as realistic as possible as it flew through the countryside.
It can reach 60 MPH, but it is not recommended
The Birds Eye Pea Car weighs just 1,653 pounds with all the body panels in place. That is approximately the weight of a small city carbut as the pea begins to peel it naturally becomes lighter and lighter. Most things are designed to fall off the Pea Car, including twelve body panels, the exhaust, wing mirrors, the hubcaps, the roof, the rear bumper and the doors. So while we’re confident that Asylum did a good job when they made it, it was literally built to fall apart.
The light body weight in combination with the Honda engine and the lightweight go-kart chassis ensure that the Pea Car can even reach 80-100 km per hour on a closed road. Nippy, but we can imagine that it is not very stable to work with. However, the light weight of the Pea Car also has a downside; it means that with a small steering input the pea can roll. Plus, with the minimal suspension, small wheels and slim chassis, there’s little doubt that it would feel very jittery and scary, especially if it starts to fall apart around you.
10 cars in movies that became pop culture icons
Check out these famous models who became more than the sum of their parts thanks to starring roles on the big screen and on TV.
Where is the strange one-off pea car now?
After starring in the Birds Eye commercial, the Pea Car didn’t just fade into obscurity; it rightly became a quirky automotive artifact. It was always going to be a one-off model, not a production model, and it was never sold or used regularly. It has been preserved as an exhibit for fans of strange cars to take a closer look. Since 2005, the Pea Car has appeared at many exhibitions in Britain, but probably the most notable was its appearance at the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu.
Most recently, the Pea Car was said to have been housed in the Unilever Ice Cream and Frozen Foods Co. building. in Walton-on-Thames, not far from where Birds Eye was headquartered in the 1960s. The Pea Car has also appeared at a few events, but due to its oddity it is unlikely it will ever leave the display world or be sold. So the only way to own a Pea Car is to make one yourself.
Other unique commercial vehicles
The Pea Car is far from the only custom-made commercial vehicle that will stop traffic; brands have been finding ways to get our attention for decades. It’s safe to say that models like the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, the Zippo Car, the Hormel Foods Nutmobile, and the LLBean Bootmobile have all done that.
Built on a Chevy or GMC truck chassis, the Wienermobile has been plying the roads across the US since 1936 to promote hot dogs. The Zippo Car, often adapted from classic sedans, although usually retired, spreads the iconic lighter brand at events and fairs. The Nutmobile, based on a small van, tours the US, handing out nuts and a few laughs, while the Bootmobile, typically built on a GMC Sierra chassis, replicates the Bean Boot design for select roadshow promotions.
While all these commercial vehicles are famous and attention-grabbing, the Pea Car is completely unique and rare. Only one was made; you probably won’t see it anywhere else except in the exhibition, and it shows real creativity from a brand.
Sources: Classic.com, Asylum Models and Effects Ltd.And Cool Ideas YouTube channel.
#Pea #Car #weirdest #weve