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BMW Isetta: Mobile in any weather.

It goes without saying that the majority of the general public could not afford exclusive vehicles such as these. At the beginning of the '50s, when the economy was gradually recovering and people were financially better off, demand for motorized vehicles of all kinds began to boom. The significant improvement of living conditions was coupled with a rise in demands with respect to the vehicles’ standard and weather-protection features. Whilst not too long ago people had been happy riding a motorbike, possibly equipped with a sidecar, people changed their attitude and no longer wished to wear heavy, weather-resistant clothes. Instead, they wanted to get from A to B without getting wet.

This is why the BMW Board decided to include in its portfolio a marketable mini-car. Searching for the right concept, which would be suitable for production under licence, BMW engineers visited various Automobile Shows. In Turin they ran into the avant-garde Isetta made by Iso of Milan. At first sight, the Isetta had a most unusual appearance with its door at the front, side-mounted 2-stroke engine and the narrow rear track, but the BMW engineers recognised the bubble-shaped vehicle’s potential. The loud and weak 2-stroke engine could easily be replaced by a low-noise BMW motorcycle engine and at least the passengers sat next to each other like in a real car. A unique feature was the door at the front, which would swing open together with the steering wheel and the dashboard, enabling the passengers to more or less ''walk straight into the vehicle''.

When the first BMW Isetta was finally presented to the press at the Tegernsee in the spring of 1955, there was much astonishment. With a great deal of attention to detail, BMW had modified and improved many optical and technological features of the Italian original. New headlights and a new front lid had brought new looks to the body, and a motorcycle engine producing 12 bhp and displacing 250 cc gave the Isetta a top speed of slightly more than 80 km/h (50 mph). This unusual-looking vehicle was well received by the public. It was just the right time for launching an unconventional vehicle. The Italian flair added much to the Isetta's success as the first wave of holiday-makers was heading south.

As early as 1955, about 13,000 Isettas left the Munich plant. Whilst the sale of the Iso Isetta was sluggish in Italy, sales figures in Germany soared to nearly 40,000 in the 1957 record year. Meanwhile, a more powerful variant displacing 300 cc and producing 13 bhp, a modernized body and special versions such as a convertible, a tropical variant and even a mini van were launched. Along with the Glas Goggomobil, the Isetta bubble car became the most successful vehicle of its kind in Germany.

Story by BMW