You are looking at purchasing a BMW Isetta on eBay and are curious about the history of these small cars. Here is a short course on the history behind these fascinating small cars.

BMW Isetta History

The BMW Isetta was made famous, in recent times, by its regular appearance on the "Family Matters" show. Some TV viewers mistakenly believed that this was a car that Steve Urkel supposedly "invented" since he was an inventor on the show. The real history of the Isetta was even more exciting than being a TV star. In its most exciting role the Isetta was used to smuggle escapees out of iron curtain countries and it also became known as the "Little Car that saved BMW". During the post WW II time frame, BMW was primarily building large motorcars that were not selling well. The Isetta enters the BMW story when it was seen by BMW engineers at The Turin Auto Show and at the Mille Miglia Rally. BMW saw the Isetta as a way to keep the company alive during this time of scarce fuel. They purchased the manufacturing license and cranked out 160,000 cars from 1955 to 1964. Famous Isetta owners included Cary Grant and Elvis Presley. 

The car is powered by a single cylinder, four stroke, air cooled engine with a whopping 13 horsepower. This engine is very similar to BMW R27 series motorcycle engines from that same era. Power is transmitted through a 4 speed gearbox and double roller chain drive to the rear wheel or wheels depending on the destination country. In some countries, like the UK, a three-wheeled version was offered. On the four wheeled model, like the car shown, the two rear wheels are on a live axle and have only one rear brake that stops both of the rear wheels. Because the wheels are placed so close together, BMW decided that a differential was unnecessary. In spite of its unusual appearance, the car is a technology statement for its time. It boasted then cutting edge features like a mid-engine motor placement, a center mounted brake light, an integrated starter motor/generator and an egg shaped aerodynamic body with a narrow rear wheel track. These safety and performance features are found on some cars of today, almost 50 years later. The Isetta was designed with a minimum of electrical and mechanical connections between the car body and the chassis and drive train. As detailed in the factory shop manual, if you planned to work on anything moderate to major in the drive train, the standard practice was to remove the body, which only took about 30 minutes to accomplish. There is a small area under the package shelf, near the engine, where a few short refugees were smuggled out of East Germany. One woman was riding across the border checkpoint to freedom only to accidentally reach out and touch the hot exhaust pipe. Her involuntary scream alerted the nearby guards and she was arrested and the car impounded.     

The Isetta boasts a sleepy 0-30 MPH time of 11 seconds but the little car's gas sipping 60+MPG figure was appealing to buyers due to high fuel costs and post WW II gas rationing. The original sticker price was just under $1,000. The most unusual feature on the Isetta is the dash and steering wheel which are hinged at the front door to allow easy interior access. In spite of the small size of the car, drivers of 6 foot 5+ have found it possible to sit in the car.  All Isettas come with a fold-back convertible top which doubles as an escape hatch if the car's front door was blocked or damaged in an accident. At just over 7 feet in length, the Isetta is short enough to park perpendicular to the curb. Just open the door and step out the front door onto the sidewalk! The original dash had only a single instrument: A speedometer. The motorcycle-like 3 gallon gas tank has a small reserve section that was turned on if the main tank ran out of gas so no gas gauge was fitted.     

The Isetta and its bubble car cousin, the Messerschmitt, began to fade in popularity in the 1960's and were replaced by the more spacious and practical VW Bug and Austin/Morris Mini. It is a bit ironic that although the Mini made the BMW Isetta obsolete in the 1960's, eventually BMW would purchase the Mini name, when they decided to offer buyers a small, fun economical car like they did in the 1950’s with the Isetta.

BMW Isetta Racing Heritage

In spite of its small 300cc power plant, the 800 pound Isetta was used in races, rallies and endurance contests. The Iso Isetta’s car show debut was at the 1953 Turin Motor Show and in 1954 it successfully competed in the 1000 mile Mille Miglia Rally. The team placed first, second and third in the index of performance category where both speed and economy are judged. This outstanding rally result was witnessed by BMW "scouts" who were present for the event. The little cars’ handling, the noteworthy average speed of almost 45MPH and the positive reaction of enthusiastic fans along the roadside, were probably all contributing factors that led BMW to acquire a license from Italian refrigerator manufacturer Iso and to build the cars beginning in 1955. Note that the front door on the Isetta looks a bit like a refrigerator door. So the roots of the Isetta, being built by BMW, are firmly connected to racing in spite of the mild-mannered appearance of the car.

It is possible that the BMW Company might not have survived except for the outstanding Isetta showing in that one significant rally event and BMW’s subsequent decision to purchase the manufacturing license. The following year the cars were back to race again with added horsepower. They cut another 2 hours off their 22 hour time from the previous year, raising their average speed to almost 50MPH. This was an amazing average speed and result for a one cylinder, 300CC car with a rated top speed of only about 55MPH. The team drivers remarked that the cars drove very well and had exceptional handling due to a unique suspension and steering system that keeps the front wheels parallel no matter how rough the road surface. 

Note: In the 1954 and 1955 Mille Miglia events approximately half of the 400-500 car fields were unable to complete the difficult course. The Mille Miglia was rated as one of the toughest, most grueling car races in the world. Among the casualties were powerful and often factory supported Austin Healeys, Ferraris, Porsches, Lancias and Maseratis. Just finishing the 1000 mile race was a major accomplishment. The Isettas ran in a 750cc class beating some Fiat 500s, 600s, a Fiat 1400 and Citroen 2CV cars that had twice the size engine. Although we think of this as a cute little Microcar with lots of personality, this was also one tough little race car!