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During the triple-digit tenure of the automobile, automakers like BMW have designed some genuinely odd creations. From tiny three-wheeled cars to fighter aircraft fuselages on tires, conventional doesn’t exist in the upside-down world of automotive oddities. Here are five of the most lovable and weird cars ever made, like the Peel P50, BMW Isetta, and Amphicar.

  • Peel P50 
  • BMW Isetta 300
  • Messerschmitt KR200
  • NSU Prinz 1
  • Amphicar 

Is the Peel P50 rare?

The 1960s Peel P50 is rare, but it isn’t unobtainable. The diminutive, two-door, single-headlight car is a sight to behold. In all honesty, it looks like a children’s toy you would find on a family lawn. However, it is a sought-after oddity; the BBC covered a P50 sale for a staggering $176,000.

The Peel P50, like the BMW Isetta, is one of most lovable weird cars ever.
1962 Peel P50 | National Motor Museum, Heritage Images via Getty Images

How much is a BMW Isetta worth?

Along the same lines as the Peel P50, the BMW Isetta is another tiny, weird car with shock value. Instead of the Peel’s two doors, operators of the smallest Isettas would embark through a single forward-facing hatch. According to Hagerty, a 1960 BMW Isetta 300, with its single-cylinder, 13-horsepower engine, has an average value of $30,800.  

The BMW Isetta, like the Peel P50, is one of the tiny, weird cars that makes people smile.
BMW Isetta | Michel Porro, Getty Images

Is a Messerschmitt KR200 one of the coolest weird cars ever made?

Yes, it’s that Messerschmitt; the WWII German airplane manufacturer moved into the auto industry after Germany’s defeat. One of the results is the wild and crazy KR200, a car as odd as a Peel P50. It’s an odd two-door car with a side-opening canopy, undoubtedly connecting to the marque’s aviation roots. Better yet, the legendary Elvis Presley’s collection included a KR200. 

A classic shot of a Messerschmitt KR200 reveals its airplane-like shape.
1960 Messerschmitt KR200 | National Motor Museum, Heritage Images via Getty Images

What kind of car did John Glenn drive?

John Glenn, the famed U.S. Marine pilot and first American Astronaut to orbit the planet drove an NSU Prinz 1. It was a tiny, two-door German car with a 26-horsepower, two-cylinder engine. Part of the odd relationship between John Glenn and the NSU was the availability of Chevrolet Corvettes for the Astronauts of the day. Specifically, the practical-minded and frugal Glenn chose the NSU’s fuel economy over a local $1 lease on a sleek, stylish Corvette.

Is a propeller car as strange as a Peel P50?

Propeller cars like the Leyat Helica are some of the strangest cars ever. French designer Marcel Leyat made 30 of the bonkers propeller-powered vehicle, and it’s easy to see why it didn’t catch on. Just as strange as the massive propeller on the front fascia of the Helica is the 1L Harley-Davidson powerplant that Leyat chose to power the car. Frankly, it wasn’t that bad of a choice; New Atlas reports that the Helica with a Harley-Davidson heart could hit 106 mph in a 1913 car, quite a bit quicker than you could in a much newer Peel P50. 

How much is an Amphicar worth?

The Amphicar, like the Peel P50, is a weird car with a lot of charm.
Amphicar | James D. Morgan, Getty Images

Yes, it’s an automotive portmanteau, but it is also one of the strangest little cars ever made. The precious, short-statured Amphicar looks like another oddly-styled example of excessiveness from the 1960s, but it has a party piece. The Amphicar can swim. However, that kind of off-the-wall engineering comes at a price; Hagerty says a 1967 Amphicar Model 770 in good condition will set you back around $63,100. 

Scroll down to the following article to read about other weird cars like the Peel P50!

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