BMW Isetta 250 and 300 (1955 – 1965) Review
BMW Isetta 250 and 300 (1955 – 1965) At A Glance
BMW’s luxury of the 1950s were technically brilliant, beautifully built, fast and elegant - but due to their huge cost and austere times in their home market, they were selling extremely slowly. So, in order to secure more volume, BMW made the decision to acquire the licence to build the Isetta bubblecar - and it proved to be an inspired piece of lateral thinking by BMW management.
The Isetta was just what was needed, and as the effects of the Suez Crisis started to hit, and petrol became a rare commodity, suddenly the motorcycle engine car that could achieve 50mpg all day long made a great deal of sense. Front-hinged door and three wheeled handling were questionable, but buyers loved them. But it was a shortlived honeymoon, and as proper small cars like the Mini hit the market, sales dissolved...
They're cool today, though, and have a considerable following.