The Volkswagen Pea Car is obscure enough that people likely have never heard of it. This company is known for having several divisions and making traditional cars, such as the Volkswagen Passat. But the Pea Car was a massive departure from those endeavors. As the name indicates, the car was shaped like a round green vegetable. This was done specifically for a TV commercial as part of a marketing campaign, using existing parts from Volkswagen as templates and inspiration.

In the commercial, all the parts and pieces fly off the car's chassis, one by one, until almost nothing is left except for the chassis. The car itself proved to be very popular, with several people asking if they could purchase one without realizing that it was a one-time custom gimmick made to self-destruct. Read on to find out more information regarding the quirks, trivia, and circumstances of the Volkswagen Pea Car.

Updated November 2022: The Volkswagen Pea Car is one of those iconic cars that no one knows about. We have updated this article with more quirky information on this TV-only vehicle, and also tell you about its current whereabouts.

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The Commercial Involving Volkswagen Pea Car

In the commercial, the green Pea Car is driving through a farmer’s field, showcasing its shiny green body and license plate with the words “Pea” on it. All seems normal at first; however, the car soon begins to lose parts: the hubcap falls off while driving, the bumper flies away into a pond, the roof strips away in the wind, and the back of the Pea Car falls off and nearly hits two bikers traveling behind it.

Finally, the Pea Car arrives in front of a house, with only the chassis remaining. At that point, a refrigerated semi-truck from Birds Eye Peas pulls up and delivers a brand-new, intact Pea Car to replace the one that fell apart, making an analogy between fresh peas' vitamins and Birds' Eye View's Peas' vitamins.

The Pea Car Was Made Solely For TV

Volkswagen Pea car interior cut-out view
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The Pea Car was specifically commissioned for a TV commercial. It is, of course, custom build to certain predetermined specifications for the occasion. It was shaped like a pea as part of a marketing gimmick and partnership with Birds Eye Peas to advertise its product and promote healthy eating. The Pea Car aired in a December 2005 commercial for Birds Eye Peas, noticeable as a Volkswagen specifically because of the trademark lights.

London-based company Asylum took the lead in producing the car and was ultimately responsible for its manufacturing, and they were able to complete the pea-shaped car in its custom entirety in approximately six weeks. When the car was complete, it weighed 1,653 pounds and could only reach 60 MPH. Admittedly, that's not the highest top speed, but it was high enough to go where it needed to go in the commercial.

Further, the Pea Car lacked any gears. Production was very intricate, using the chassis from an off-road go-kart to start with and combining it with the engine from a Honda. The lights were the only part courtesy of a Volkswagen Beetle. Wing mirrors came from a specialist shop, with all the other parts being made to order, including the fiberglass body panels.

The Pea Car Was Built To Fall Apart

Volkswagen Pea car with all panels off view
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Believe it or not, the structural integrity of the pea car was never in question, as it was actually designed to lose pieces during the production of the commercial. Twelve of the car panels were actually constructed with disassembly as their main goal. This included the exhaust pipe, hub caps, doors, rear bumper, sunroof, and those aforementioned wing mirrors from the specialist shop.

After all, the disassembly was included in the script for the commercial, so the car had to play the part. Because of its lack of structural integrity, the car itself is not street-legal, and therefore should not be driven on the roads.

As a result, while the filmmakers were filming the commercial, all the roads seen in the commercial had to be closed off to other drivers to avoid any potential incidents or accidents. The stunt driver also had to be safely and completely secured inside the Pea Car because of the removable doors. Keeping the stunt driver secure meant the doors could fall off without the stunt driver also falling off.

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Interesting Trivia Of The VW Pea Car

Volkswagen Pea car frame layout view
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There are quite a few miscellaneous facts regarding the production, implementation, and current status of the pea car. Matt Waller and Dave Monk, a creative team at advertising agency BBH, conceived the idea of the Pea Car, and they then passed it on to Muriel MacCallum and Sofia Costa, who runs the brand team at Birds Eye Peas.

The off-road go-kart used as the basis for the Pea Car was unusable in its initial form, so it had to be heavily modified before other parts could be added and construction could continue. The car was modeled in 3D before its final approval, and this model was used to create many custom parts. This model was also molded to create fiberglass body panels intended to fall off.

The indicators came from a Lancia, and the construction crew decided to use Pantone 369c as the hue of green paint for the Pea Car. As for the Pea Car's fate post-commercial, it is now on display at the Unilever Ice cream and Frozen Foods Co. in Walton on Thames.

Where Is The Famous Volkswagen Pea Car?

Volkswagen Pea car front third quarte close-up view
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As the car was solely created for the commercial, it ended up being showcased at various museums and events. It is supposedly housed at the National Motor Museum and is outsourced for select vehicle showcases. It will never be put up for purchase and that elevates this tiny oddity's desirability levels even further!

Sources: Doityourselfrv.com, Asylumsfx.com