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General Isetta

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General Isetta

BambinoClassic

BambinoClassic

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So I was just sitting in my car yesterday, on the side of the road, enjoying it. As we all do right.
A group of elderly German folk walked up and of course started a conversation about how they used to drive these many years ago, and how you can park them anywhere etc etc
They then mentioned the Isetta, a car smaller and with funnier doors than the 500 D.
After looking it up, I think I’ve only ever seen one of these on the old series of Heartbeat about 20 years ago.


Wondering where these strange little cars fit in the hearts of 500 folk? They don’t seem to have had quite as glorious a history but they would certainly have a place on my ‘one day’ list of classic cars to own and love!
 
They have quite a following, as far as I can tell. And are quite pricey to buy even as a project requiring complete restoration.

Idk which TV programs/stations you can get in your country, but the Isetta has been featured in several tv car programs in recent times.

Wheeler Dealers (U.K.)
Chasing Classic Cars (U.S.)
Storage Wars (U.S.)
and possible iirc 'For the love of Cars' (U.K.)

Wheeler Dealers sold the 'Bubblecar' they restored to BMW UK for their collection of classic BMW's. They also did a resto on a Messerschmit KR200, which was a similar type of very small car. There are DVD sets available of the various 'Wheeler Dealer's' tv series. Some might be available on youtube.

AL.
 
Thanks! I’ll have to check out YouTube just to satisfy my curiosity.
They seem to have a 50% or so pretty ce premium on the 500 here. At least $30,000 for a running one, though a 500N is similar
One for the day post winning lotto :)
 
BambinoClassic said:
........They then mentioned the Isetta, a car smaller and with funnier doors than the 500 D.
After looking it up, I think I’ve only ever seen one of these on the old series of Heartbeat about 20 years ago.
Click to expand...

It's started..... he has the bug... guess he'll be getting one soon...
but find a Goggomobile Dart...

I think most classic car owners appreciate other cars...
The only exception I have found is VW owners who don't seem to think any other make exists...
 
I like the Messerschmitt , Trojan, Heinkel and Isetta but they are all a bit too expensive for me and I have enough motors that I am passionate about already.
I met a gentleman a few years ago who lives on the West Coast of Scotland who owned this beautiful car which he had restored himself, You can see from the location of his photograph that he wasn't afraid of a driving challenge either....that's not Scotland!(y)

I think that it has a distorted, drugged-up echo of the shape of a Fiat 500.:D

100_0671 by Peter Thompson, on Flickr
 
ah there are some rippers!
Shame we don’t see more on the road, and some evidence of preservation.
Prices of $30,000+ are a bit sad though, classic cars will become a rich mans game, maybe sitting in garages only to be brought out at shows.
 
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I am a member of a microcar club and frequently attend rallies where we go out on road runs. I would class my Fiat as very much a more "normal everyday" car compared with the other cars on the runs. These cars can be 3 or 4 wheeled, with engines of 1 or 2 cylinder, 2 or 4 stroke, mainly from the 50's and 60's. It can be a great achievement to go out on a run of 60 or so miles and have all the cars return without any major breakdowns. I myself have owned other microcars which have been much more austere and basic than my Fiat, in fact I bought my Fiat 500 because it is more comfortable for my disabled wife to travel in. Unfortunately the values of these microcars have shot up in recent years making ownership prohibitive for younger members to join in with the hobby.
 
berkeleyman said:
I am a member of a microcar club and frequently attend rallies where we go out on road runs. I would class my Fiat as very much a more "normal everyday" car compared with the other cars on the runs. These cars can be 3 or 4 wheeled, with engines of 1 or 2 cylinder, 2 or 4 stroke, mainly from the 50's and 60's. It can be a great achievement to go out on a run of 60 or so miles and have all the cars return without any major breakdowns. I myself have owned other microcars which have been much more austere and basic than my Fiat, in fact I bought my Fiat 500 because it is more comfortable for my disabled wife to travel in. Unfortunately the values of these microcars have shot up in recent years making ownership prohibitive for younger members to join in with the hobby.
Click to expand...


Wow interesting perspective. The 500 seems to be quite resilient in that respect, I don't think we'd accept such short journeys, certainly not peter!

I almost would have thought that the simpler the design the less likely issues arise, but I guess there's a balance between simplicity and functionality. It also seems like some functional compromises may have been made to make these attractive purely from a road tax perspective
 
BambinoClassic said:
Wow interesting perspective. The 500 seems to be quite resilient in that respect, I don't think we'd accept such short journeys, certainly not peter!

I almost would have thought that the simpler the design the less likely issues arise, but I guess there's a balance between simplicity and functionality. It also seems like some functional compromises may have been made to make these attractive purely from a road tax perspective
Click to expand...

You've got to look at the time period when these Microcars were built and the countries that produced them. Many were produced right after WW2. Materials were in short supply, money was in even shorter supply for most people. Lots of returning soldiers needing/wanting transport, especially in Germany. and the U.K.

I think the aim was to offer people a 'step-up' from a motorcycle or m/cycle+sidecar. Very handy for the 'familyman' and great to get inside away from bad weather. To keep costs down, these little cars were made small and light and propelled by motorcycle engines. some could be driven on a motorcycle licence if 3 wheeled (not sure if they had to be minus a reverse gear also?).

Some little cars were also produced for Disabled use - remember the returning soldiers mentioned above, many unfortunately could no longer ride motorcycles.

When Cars like the Fiat 500, Austin A30 and then the Mini came along, most people were no longer interested in Microcars and sales fell away. Most ended up being parked up, rusting away and then scrapped. In 1972 I could have swapped a 9 year old Honda Benly 125 for 3 BMW Isettas (1 running!).
I passed on the offer :) then, now :cry:

There's a big following for Microcars in the USA. There was even one museum devoted entirely to such cars (can't remember the name) they've got 100's of them. Iirc, there was also a big auction a while ago which was selling the collection belonging to Bruce? somebody.

Iirc, Jay Leno has one or more Microcars, they might be found on youtube?

AL.
 
BambinoClassic said:
Wow interesting perspective. The 500 seems to be quite resilient in that respect, I don't think we'd accept such short journeys, certainly not peter!

I almost would have thought that the simpler the design the less likely issues arise, but I guess there's a balance between simplicity and functionality. It also seems like some functional compromises may have been made to make these attractive purely from a road tax perspective
Click to expand...

Those "bubble-cars" appear to be well made and certainly haven't been designed without a great deal of consideration for functionality and style (as in the Fiat 500). :D

Obviously, by virtue of their potential top-speed, limited accommodation and vulnerability within the traffic-flow, they don't immediately stand out as ideal vehicles for long-distance travel (as in the Fiat 500). :D

The facts that the mechanical engineering is of an old design and that the original components are now quite elderly may also lead you to wonder about their ruggedness and reliability (as in the Fiat 500). :D

But my experience is, that as long as you do your best to keep an old car well maintained and pay close attention to any unusual noises, vibrations or smells, by pushing your car's to the presumed limits of its ability you will be pleased and surprised by how far it will take you and how much pleasure it will give. That pleasure seems to be magnified in opposite proportion to the size of the car; so getting to the top of a pass such as the Col de Aspin (as with my acquaintance John Ducker) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Col_d'Aspin must be particularly satisfying.
 
The whole post 2nd WW era of transport is interesting...
as fuel was still rationed, cars were very scare and people had to travel further to work.. this spawned the first generation of post war transport... the Cyclemotor.. Std Bicycles with an engine strapped onto them... these were an easy add on to the bike which most people had access too, with claims of 250mpg they were a great way to increase the distances that people traveled....
Some of the companies involved BSA,Ducati went on to produce full Motorbikes, but many cyclemotor manufacturers fell by the wayside.. replaced by scooter and full motorcycle manufacturers.... Producing more powerfull and reliable engines...
Which then led on to the micro cars using motorcycle engines...
and so on....

The Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum in the States has Closed the entire collection was auctioned off in 2013 .. I think the Website still exists...
 
Franko500 said:
I wonder how many of the forum have one of those.......
Click to expand...

Well they even outnumber my Fiats.....

And 30mph would be a speed to dream about...

This is a Vial Verlicchi.. it was the "Cyclemotor " that has a Ducati 48cc engine, and prompted Ducati to start to build their own bikes, previously they only supplied Engines...


This was Ducati's first offering a Ducati 60 - only made for 3 months as they could not agree a deal with the frame maker Caproni...
This 1951 bike has 1500km from new and a Turin Barn find...



I collect lots of Rusty Italian stuff..... but isn't it all Rusty???
 
Bigvtwin996 said:
The whole post 2nd WW era of transport is interesting...
as fuel was still rationed, cars were very scare and people had to travel further to work.. this spawned the first generation of post war transport... the Cyclemotor.. Std Bicycles with an engine strapped onto them... these were an easy add on to the bike which most people had access too, with claims of 250mpg they were a great way to increase the distances that people traveled....
Some of the companies involved BSA,Ducati went on to produce full Motorbikes, but many cyclemotor manufacturers fell by the wayside.. replaced by scooter and full motorcycle manufacturers.... Producing more powerfull and reliable engines...
Which then led on to the micro cars using motorcycle engines...
and so on....

The Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum in the States has Closed the entire collection was auctioned off in 2013 .. I think the Website still exists...
Click to expand...

Thanks for coming up with Bruce's full name. Sorry that the auction was so long ago - I rely on Freeview TV channels for many of the old car programmes I watch, sometimes forget some of these prog's are several years old. :eek:

Good points about fuel rationing and the Cyclemotor. I seem to recall that a certain Mr. Soichiro Honda started out by fitting small engines to bicycles to provide much needed transport post WW2.

Anyone remember the Velo-Solex?

And now some people are fitting (electric) 'engines' to bicycles....

AL.
 
fiat500 said:
Those "bubble-cars" appear to be well made and certainly haven't been designed without a great deal of consideration for functionality and style (as in the Fiat 500). :D
Click to expand...

Some say that many former aircraft designers/engineers were involved in designing these little cars. Notice the way the Messerschmit KR200 looks a bit like a fighter plane cockpit with canopy.

Al.
 
Wonder if, with modern technology, a petrol cyclemotor could be made which is more ecologicaly sound than a lithium battery electric one? Very little metal went into the originals and mpg was impressive.... ☺
 
We have couple of friends with microcars.
One friend very much into Bond Bugs, he used it and five friends bugs as wedding vehicles for himself, his bride, and two adult bridemaids (one heavily pregnant too!) with two 'support vehicles'. Brought Salisbury town centre to a standstill.
Another friend has an Isetta. He already has a stable of 8 very special sports cars etc, so when he bought this one he wondered where to put it without his wife noticing.
She found it in the garden shed when the gardeners own lawn mower stopped and she offered him the one in the shed.....
I did have old video of Googlemobiles racing the roads in Austria, and was delighted to see one for real while on holiday in Dussledorf last year. I would love to own one.
 
I had a 1961 Isetta 300 way back in the 60,s......it was built by BMW in Brighton.Sussex.
It was my first proper car, three wheels, and fun to drive.
I bought it second hand from a person living near Farnham, for £60.....i put on a good number of miles with great reliability,25-30 miles each way to work.
I moved on to an even more of a proper car.......a 1959 FIAT 600.......

Ian
 
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