1954 Iso Isetta: a 330kg Microcar w/ a 236cc split-single engine that raced in the Mille Miglia!
Автокөліктер мен көлік құралдары
After having published legendary rally cars, old F1s racing in Monza and American cars with 7-liter engines in the previous days, today I show you something totally different, something that cannot fail to print a smile on the face of a true car enthusiast. Here's the Iso Isetta, which I recorded during the 2021 Vernasca Silver Flag.
This is the first Italian microcar produced in Bresso (near Milan) by Iso Automobili between 1953 and 1956. It was also the first car built by the brand, consisting in a bizarre yet innovative two-seater car with an ultra-compact size, equipped with a motorcycle engine and rear-wheel drive.
Before continuing, let's clarify one thing immediately: this is not a copy of the more famous BMW 250/300 'Isetta'. This is the actual original project that was later sold to BMW by Iso Automobili and which later became a global success.
In 1939 Renzo Rivolta founded Iso, a company based in Bolzaneto (near Genoa), specialized in refrigeration systems. In 1943 Iso moved to Bresso, near Milan, where it added the production of household appliances to its previous activity. However after the Second World War Renzo Rivolta realized that one of the greatest needs and priorities of the Italian population was to be able to move with cheap vehicles. He therefore decided to convert the production of household appliances to that of motorcycles but after small successes, Renzo Rivolta understood it was time to move on to car production. In his mind there was a vehicle halfway between a motorcycle and a Fiat Topolino, a car that was very cheap at those times but still inaccessible for most of the Italian population full of difficulties after the Second World War. In 1951, Rivolta commissioned two young aeronautical engineers, Ermenegildo Preti and Pierluigi Raggi, to design a small car that could use one of the motorcycle engines that the company already manufactured.
The result, the Iso Isetta, was unveiled at the Turin Motor Show in 1953. Its design has been studied to maximize living space and ensure large windows. Power came from a 236cc (14.4 cu in), 9.5 hp split-single two-stroke motorcycle engine, where two cylinders share a single combustion chamber. Top speed was of only 75 km/h (47 mph) but it could count on low consumption. Its only bitter enemies were steep climbs. The Isetta was equipped with a single front door, hinged laterally, through which passengers entered the car. The steering column was also hinged and connected to the door for easier access, while the rear, in addition to the engine, was completed by a very small luggage compartment.
The Isetta weighed just 330kg and, as for the Fiat Topolino and the Fiat 500, the roof was made of canvas and could be opened, a quite requested feature by Italians of the time. Another peculiar feature was the different track of the wheels, with the rear wheels very close with each other, something reminiscent of the first prototype which only had three wheels but which proved unsafe. A grille on the right side allowed the air-cooled engine to be ventilated.
Despite the innovative solutions and excellent technical characteristics the Isetta wasn't very successful. In order to demonstrate its dynamic qualities and stimulate sales, the car was entered in some editions of the Mille Miglia, where it obtained excellent results in the Index of Performance / Thermal Efficiency classification. The reliability of the small Isetta was underlined by the arrival at the finish line of five out of seven cars in the 1954 edition. But despite this the Isetta continued to struggle and just over a thousand cars in basic configuration were sold.
So Renzo Rivolta started to be interested in doing licensing deals. At the same time BMW was trying to introduce new models without being able to afford large investments and they wanted to list a small and low consumption city car. Talkings with Rivolta began in mid-1954 and later they bought not just a license but the complete Isetta body tooling as well. The Isetta was also built under license in a number of other different countries, including Argentina, Spain, Belgium, France, Brazil and the United Kingdom.
#IsoIsetta #Isetta #Microcar
I have to thank my friends and youtubers @Italiansupercarvideo and @MattyB727 for the great collaboration done during this event. Don't forget to subscribe to their channels!!
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- Camcorder: Canon Legria HF GX10 & G30 + Canon DM-100 Microphone, Sony AX-53 + Audio Technica Microphone
- Event: Vernasca Silver Flag 2021
- Where: Castell'Arquato - Lugagnano - Vernasca, Italy
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Пікірлер: 60
My father owned one in the 60s before I was born but he showed me pictures and talked about what a great little car it was. You got from A to B with a roof over your head (a step up from his small motorcycle) and for a young couple it was cheap to drive. And there was a lot less traffic so it was easier to drive. It did exactly what it was supposed to do. Bigger isn't always better.
"Its gonna be a smokey show!" That little thing is awesome. Hearing the motor struggle to even achieve moderate speeds makes me smile for some reason
@AIRDRAC
2 жыл бұрын
I used to daily drive a Piaggio Ape 50, this is a happy reminder of that, but also of why I don't have it anymore. Something that small and slow dangerous in modern traffic :(
What a treasure to see these ripping and running.
If he would wear a full racing suit with helmet it would look super cool
@NicolasChiribelo
2 жыл бұрын
It would also make it heavier and therefore harder to climb hills... seems like it can barely do it in this state. Still, hilarious to see. The kind of thing that puts a smile on your face.
Massima stima per il proprietario del mezzo e a Bozzy per aver portato un video su un mezzo del genere. Un abbraccio...
The Speed is ridiculous. 😆 Love this car
So slow, but I bet the driver is having a blast! Great video bozzy!
I love these little things. I have an appreciation for clever solutions born out of necessity and designed to be built with minimal and existing resources. I learned a few new things reading the description too. It's more like a mini history essay for school lol, clearly the work of someone who loves cars. Great work as always.
@ladymopar2024
2 жыл бұрын
Oh me too I also like the little CV2 people think I'm crazy
@spamcan9208
2 жыл бұрын
@@ladymopar2024 too funny, I was going to mention that car too. It's another fascinating car with its own unique set of design criteria for farmers. It's full of clever little details.
@ladymopar2024
2 жыл бұрын
@@spamcan9208 wow we think alike I love it I also love the feeling of the road and you know all this traffic behind you cuz you can't go over 25 miles an hour I don't know I just think it's fun I could be driving a new car and I think it'd be stuck behind this one and I would never pass it I drive a muscle car so nobody better mess with me I'm the great protector of a small cars that's what everybody calls me anyway LOL I'm just really glad there's appreciation for these little guys
@spamcan9208
2 жыл бұрын
@@ladymopar2024 I love cars of all shapes and sizes! "The great protector of small cars" sounds like a bestowed title with a story behind it lol.
@ladymopar2024
2 жыл бұрын
@@spamcan9208 yes there is a story behind the great protector, because I'm a muscle car I crashed the Corvette club Christmas party I crash lowrider barbecues I crashed the British car club shows and all the tiny cars in return for me letting for letting me crash there party get my protection plus my mom has a 1958 mg magnet I do got a 76 MGB and she had a 1974 Jaguar
I adored how fast it looked in the thumbnail
The cutest video i ever see in this channel
where the yota pods at, this is their worthy opponent 😂💀
He Enjoyed The Drive
Reminds me of someone in Cars2 Movie ngl
Needs a huge wing
I actually saw two irl these days but never knew the specs and that they can push it
3.15 is a Gran Turismo Driving Mission irl
@19Bozzy92
2 жыл бұрын
XD
LOVE IT! 😙❤
Very cool..................... 👍👍👍
Great job...from Argentina
@sos15_yt
2 жыл бұрын
Aguante Argentina loco,yo también soy de ahí y adoro incluso los fierritos como este
Now we're talking hardcore racecar!
Gosh this car is super adorable looking. I'd love to have one of these cars. I'd also love to have a 1992 Daihatsu Opti Club and a Subaru 360 'Lady Beetle' all lovely cute cars.
The Isetta before BMW popularized it,also "Isetta" is Italian for "Little Iso",because this was the original manufacturer.I also call it the "fridge with wheels" because Iso made isothermal products* before the WWII *Sorry my English is getting lazy here
@massimobernardo-
Жыл бұрын
La Iso Rivolta ha prodotto motociclette e super car ,non solo frigo.
3.29 It is like they stole the wind from her when passed- kinda like a tornado 🌪️... The guy deserves great credit in bringing such a car to an event like this imo 👏
Hi sir, may I use some of your footage on my videos? (10 seconds) Thank you.
Bellissima.
My friend in NJ has one. Even smaller than you think it would be. God almighty. Hilariously small.
comfy vibes
Awww that car is so adorable 😂
Doesn't matter I think he won the entire race this is too cool who cares if somebody pass me I am too cool
Who said that a car cant put a smile in your face
That little isetta was making more smoke than progress for a bit there. Lmao
the cover came off and then it was on again, I wonder how many times he had to stop or was it on multiple runs?
Faster than the speed of smoke..
*Imagine trying to drag race this thing on foot.*
That thing got a Hemi?
Ecco perché a Milano una volta c’era la nebbia!
Gostei do 1954. Lso lsetta
Ma sei italiano?
@19Bozzy92
2 жыл бұрын
Sì
Why did it smoke so much at the start?
@danielsellers8707
3 ай бұрын
Two stroke engine, probably cold...
Wie niedlich, aber dabei sein ist alles.....
My grandmom had a bmw one...
What a quaint little environmental disaster! 😍
Quanto inquinamento
Love it!