 |  | Coupe
|
In the aftermath of WWWII, the necessity for Europeans to economize gave birth to microcar. Miniscule by American standards, the typical micro-car provided room for two people and was powered by a motorcycle engine. Numerous automobile manufacturers built microcars and BMW was no exception. The Isetta was designed and built by Italian refrigerator and motor scooter manufacturer ISO SPA. Introduced in 1953, ISO soon began to license the production of the Isetta to other companies. In 1954 BMW became a licensee and also bought ISO's tooling for the car. Instead of reproducing the Italian version, BMW re-engineered the car to their more exacting standards. The single-cylinder 250cc, four-stroke engine from the R25/3 motorcycle was fitted and the entire drivetrain revised. The BMW Isetta 250 went on sale in April 1955. When production ended in 1962 a total of 161,728 cars had been built. The little Isetta had saved BMW in difficult times.
This example was purchased from Bruce Weiner's Microcar Museum after spending 20 years in a German museum. Because it was built in Europe, details differ from those exported to America. | |
subscribe - RSS