Current Auction: Arizona in January 2015 on January 15th, 2015
235
Lot #:
235
Year:
1959
Make:
BMW
Model:
Isetta 300
Exterior Color:
Green
Mileage:
36144
Mileage Type:
Exempt
Description:
The Isetta is an Italian-designed microcar built under license in a number of different countries, including Spain, Belgium, France, Brazil, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Because of its egg shape and bubble-like windows, it became known as a bubble car, a name later given to other similar vehicles.
The BMW Isetta was in 1955 the world's first mass-production 3-Litres/100 km car. It was the top-selling single-cylinder car in the world, with 161,728 units sold.
Power came from a 236 cc (14.4 cu in), 7.1 kW (9.5 hp) split-single two-stroke motorcycle engine. The engine was started by a combination generator-starter known as Dynastart. A manual gearbox provided four forward speeds and reverse. A chain drive connected the gearbox to a solid rear axle with a pair of closely spaced 25 cm (10 in) rear wheels. The first prototypes had one wheel at the rear, but having a single rear wheel made the car prone to roll-overs, so the rear wheel layout was changed to two wheels set 48 cm (19 in) apart from each other. This narrow track eliminated the need for a differential. The front axle was a modified version of a Dubonnet independent front suspension.
The Isetta took over 30 seconds to reach 50 km/h (31 mph) from rest. Top speed was only about 75 km/h (47 mph). The fuel tank held only 13 litres (3.4 US gal; 2.9 imp gal). However, the Isetta would get somewhere between 50 mpg-imp (5.6 l/100 km; 42 mpg-US) and 70 mpg (4.0 l/100 km; 58 mpg-US) depending on how it was driven. In 1954, Iso entered several Isettas in the legendary Mille Miglia where they took the top three spots in the economy classification. Over a distance of 1,600 km (1,000 mi) the drivers achieved an average speed of over 70 km/h (43 mph).
Our 1959 BMW Isetta 300 is a very nicely restored example that was treated to a bare metal repaint throughout. It boasts a great color, Pistachio, and is a wonderful driver. Our Isetta is so well preserved and was so well cared for that the amount of rust that accrued over the years is shockingly low and nearly non-existent currently. It has a solid ivory interior that blends with the exterior coloring in a complementary fashion; this is highlighted when you open the front hatch which then folds out to create an aesthetically pleasing ensemble.
