1956 BMW Isetta Coupe

The BMW Isetta is often regarded as the car that saved BMW and a vehicle that was born out of necessity. The 1950s saw an oil shortage in Europe, declining motorcycle sales, and a burgeoning middle class. This opened the way for the microcar craze. The Isetta marked the second time in BMW's history that BMW built a vehicle under license as a means of getting into production quickly. The two-seat vehicle with tubular chassis and unique front opening door became known as 'das rollende Ei'–the rolling egg.

BMW approached the Italian company Iso and its designer/owner Count Rivolta with the idea of purchasing the rights to build the car. Along with the production rights to the Iso, the company also sold much of the body tooling as well.

The new BMW made its debut at the 1955 Frankfurt Auto Show. It had its own 12 horsepower, 247cc four-stroke engine, later upsizing it to 298cc and adding one additional horsepower. Between 1955 and 1962, BMW produced 161,728 Isetta 250 and 300 models (including 31,700 in 1956), making it BMW's best-selling model to date.

This BMW Isetta 300 was given a restoration in 2010. The car has been driven just 721 kilometers since its restoration. The odometer shows 57,924 km. The 298cc air-cooled overhead valve single-cylinder engine offers 13 horsepower and is mated to a four-speed manual transmission with chain/sprocket drive.

In 2012, this car was offered for sale at the Monaco sale presented by RM Auctions. The car was estimated to sell for €22.000-€28.000 and offered without reserve. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of €21.280 inclusive of buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2012