BMW Isetta

Post-war industrial crisis has forced automakers in many countries to pay attention to cheap minicar — just like she had at the time a steady demand. Was no exception to this process and firms of West Germany — in the automotive market of the country had at that time a lot of sidecars — a four-wheeled Heinkel Kabine and a Zundapp Janus, a three-wheeled Messerschmitt and finally, the BMW Isetta with the rear wheels close together.

 

The latest micro-car, only had Italian origins — it was developed in 1953 by the firm of ISO SpA, owned by Renzo Rivolta. The machine with double bearing volume body with a door in its front wall and two-stroke two-cylinder engine with a displacement of only of 0.236 liters produced at the Turin exhibition in November 1953, a sensation. The scooter was so popular that the license for its production was purchased by the firms of England, France, Brazil, Spain, Belgium and Western Germany.

 

In Germany the production of the Isetta micro-car, only mastered the famous BMW in 1955, even she found it a rational production of cheap, as it was called, kabinenroller (it. Kabinenroller — a scooter with a cabin).

 

By construction, the BMW Isetta was different from the Italian prototype. Although the car had the same door front, the same two chairs for driver and passenger and almost the same two-stroke engine working volume of 0.25 l and a power of 12 HP, but the cars drive instead of chain appeared driveshaft was substantially revised and the appearance of the car.

 

The production of inexpensive mini-cars was a very profitable business for the company BMW is for the first year were implemented by 12 thousand cars, and in 1957 — already 40 thousand, but only up to 1962, it sold 136 367 BMW Isetta.

 

BMW Isetta: length 2280 mm, width 1680 mm, height 1380 mm; engine single cylinder two-stroke power 12 HP and a working volume of 250 cm3; transmission — 4-speed, with reverse gear; capacity — 2 persons; maximum speed of 70 km/h.