One of my earliest memories as a child was a new 1958 forest green BMW Isetta parked on the street opposite our house in Portland OR. Even at 4 years old I new Buicks from Fords from Mercedei but had never seen such a hot space age vehicle in my life and when the lady who'd just bought it got into the car by opening up the front I thought she must have bought it on Mars.

I dont know why, im 30 Y old, but i love these little and old cars over new ones.

@Trabant601L

8 жыл бұрын

+oscar lobaton same here

@theidiotwithanissanonhispr9404

5 жыл бұрын

M3

@terryjp3050

5 жыл бұрын

you appreciate character, most your age don't have a clue

@shipqsiptar9490

3 жыл бұрын

Dude you are 35 now how odd is the aging

@boiwedcat4155

3 жыл бұрын

Ya i dream this car

That's my dream car! I've wanted it since i was 10

@mach1nefan

3 жыл бұрын

Same here! I think it would be awesome to go on a weekend trip in one 😂

Great video. I owned an Isetta back in the early 60s, so it was all kind of familiar to me. I live in the UK, and our version was a 3-wheeler which complied with British law allowing it to be classed as a tricycle, and you only needed a motorcycle licence to drive it. This was achieved by mounting the rear wheel centrally in the rear fork, moving the chaincase to the left, and connecting it to the engine with a short shaft with a rubber donut universal joint on each end. I often carried two passengers, but hey, we were young and skinny then. On one occasion I had 3 passengers. That was me, my girlfriend and my pal sitting on the seat, and my pal's girlfriend sitting on the floor in front of the other 2 passengers with her knees up to her chin. I also went on a camping trip in it with 2 pals, and somehow we fitted in it with our 2 tents, luggage, sleeping bags, and all our other camping gear. As you probably gather by now, I had so much fun with that Isetta, and I really miss it.

@mathismas5810

8 жыл бұрын

+Replevideo that is so cool! i always feel like i was born into the wrong time when i read or hear these stories. my grandpa also owned an isetta as his first car. he later bought an BMW 700 which he fitted his wife and 5 children (when they were smaller) into. it's crazy if you think about that today.

@HesseJamez

6 жыл бұрын

No country had more three wheelers than UK (Reliant, Morgan, Bond, etc..) taxed as motorbike, while a Mini was taxed like a Rolls Royce.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I loved my little Isetta, and would love one now as a fun second car. History lesson:- the Isetta was originally built by an Italian scooter company, Iso I believe, and would originally have had a 2-stroke engine. It was a commercial flop, but BMW saw its potential and bought the design outright from Iso. They put it in production fitted with a 300cc version of the BMW 250cc single cylinder motorcycle engine. It sold well all over Europe where thousands could not afford a real car in a time of austerity, as it offered a more civilised form of transport for a small family than a motorcycle and sidecar combination for about the same price. Performance:- top speed about 50mph, acceleration 0 to 50 eventually. Personal history:- I regularly carried 2 passengers as we were all skinny in those days, and on one occasion 3 with one sitting on the floor wedged between the other passengers knees and the door. I and 2 pals went on a camping trip in it, somehow squeezing in 2 tents, camping stove, and luggage.

@2stroketurbo

9 жыл бұрын

Replevideo wow! great memory and great stories.... I love hearing from bubble car veteran's

@HesseJamez

9 жыл бұрын

You still see some of them in Germany. It was wide spread until the late 60s.

when I was a baby my dad&mom bought their first car: a BMW Isetta 300, just like this one: big head lights, bumbers, though rear wheels were nearer to each other. They laid me on a coussion just behind the seat. You took me back 60 years!!! THANK YOU for the drive👏👏👏 They had it for 2 years and changed it for bigger brother BMW 600 DeCarlo. Then a sister was born and a larger car was neaded. Saludos = cheers Buenos Aires, 🇦🇷Argentina

Look how clean your property is! In 1984 I had 24 small cars in my fenced off Honda 600 shop. 2 Berkeleys, 4 Isettas, 2 Multiplas, a boat, Subaru 360 van, 2 Honda s600, and the rest were N & Z 600s

Tiny car=Big Balls !

@rezziey8435

5 жыл бұрын

Big car = tiny balls!

@kanazamkniety7705

5 жыл бұрын

Why pepole always have something to folks places

It's gorgeous! Always wanted one of those. Thanks for the driving lesson!

I love this car...glad you've kept it running so well.

Thanks for sharing this. I have wanted one ever since I saw one on Heartbeat.

It's a real car and very noisy like all cars of these days! I remember my father had a DKW 2 stroke and a Simca 1000 Ralley with the 1200 cc engine right behind the backseat! That gave some roaring sounds and doubled yor sense of speed! It was fun to drive with you in your nice car!

This brings back memories of my early childhood growing up in London, these “bubble cars” as they were known, were a common sight (and sound!) on the streets. As someone else mentioned, they were all 3 wheelers here, I never even knew there was a 4 wheel version. I think there was an external luggage rack accessory you could bolt onto the back.

Miałem w 1960 super sprawa , budziło w tych czasach sensację

It’s the good to see the respect and fondness you have the car. 😀 The last fella I saw reviewing an Isetta really didn’t deserve to be driving it. 😠 I wish I still had one. I have so many great memories of driving it around New Zealand! 😀👍🏻

I really like this little car, so cute

Beautiful little car, I really like it!. Thanks for the spin and explaining all the little details, you've a new subscriber 👏

I had an Isetta in the 70s and I loved it. I repaired and resprayed Isetta's also Reliant three wheelers. Not many car repairers liked working on them so I always had plenty work. It's a pity there aren't many three wheeled cars now as I loved them.

@HesseJamez

6 жыл бұрын

It was a very simple air cooled 1 cyl-4stroke motorcycle engine. 2 valves, one carburator. Not a big deal.

I had one 50 years ago wish I had never got rid of it dead easy to work on never let me down.

it sounds pretty good from the inside actually.. wasn't expecting this

such a nice car and doesn't even let it warm up

Congratulations!👏

Loved it. Thanks for sharing. I own a 72 Fiat 500 that I restored and my wife now wants an Isetta.

@jayrussell1825

6 жыл бұрын

Apparently neither of you suffer from claustrophobia ;-).

So funny! What a cute little thing! So funny looking yet adorable.

thanks for posting. your vids are the best!

In the sixties, there was a friend who's Dad owned a body shop. He had a '57 300 Isetta. Seems like it was always in some stage of restoration/repair. He remarked once, "Isetta is the Italian phrase for, 'I saidda it's a sonofabitch to work on!'" Big laugh, but once he got it running, everyone wanted it in their parades or wanted to drive it. Neat, neat little car. Thanks for posting.

Awesome Car. congrats.

Great to be reminded of fun motoring of the past!

I fall in love with this car

I once tried an Isetta and it was a fantastic experience!

Thanks for the post! I lived in Paris from 1956 to 1960 and the Isetta and the Messerschmidt were all the rage after WWII. The French referred to the Isettas in particular as "suppositoires d'autobus" or bus suppositories, which I thought was a hoot. It made sense when you saw them in traffic, particularly behind a bus. The bloody things were all over the place but they seemed to run pretty well.

Super cool looking car so unusual such a unique design.

Haha loved it...towards the end when you see the big van you turned right around and back..meek meek.

@2stroketurbo

10 жыл бұрын

yes !

That is fantastic!!

Its so cool! I want one.

Dream car!!

Smiley little car :)

So cool!

What a wonderful car. I want one :-)

I saw your car today In Portland, on 7th ave. Sweet car!

My grandma always talked about about how much she loved hers, but she said she came home and my grandpa sold it to as she put it "fat lady who barely fit in it" lmao I miss that lady

I’d love those types of cars

That was fun to watch!

Shifting with the left hand is perfectly normal, it's sitting in the passenger seat that's weird. Cheers from Australia! Ray

@HesseJamez

6 жыл бұрын

German drivers are are used to sit left but shift with right hand.

@parsil8158

5 жыл бұрын

Haha. Eitherway, in right hand side countries the shifter would be at your right. Sooooooo.........

This car is so cute!

I've always wanted one

Was this car the inspiration for the BMW slogan "the ultimate driving machine"?

@Tariksayfon

8 жыл бұрын

Bmw didn't create this lol

@maxpowers3732

8 жыл бұрын

Tarık Kömürcü It's a BMW car. You can see the symbol on it. Why would you say BMW didn't create it?

@Tariksayfon

8 жыл бұрын

maxpowers3732 i mean it wasn't bmw's car make a research about it was italian

@gusmadore8717

7 жыл бұрын

Its a BMW

@djgate

7 жыл бұрын

The one tested hear was built by BMW but the original design came from ISO in Italy. BMW bought the rights to manufacture it with their own modified BMW motorcycle engine. They were sold in America in the fifties and many other places in the world.

This was my first car in Argentina, his name was " huevo podrido" because his color was yellow and very rostet . A great car.

@2stroketurbo

Жыл бұрын

Wow ! Great story

LOVE YOU CAR !!!

I have wanted a ride in one of those since I was 6 years old ( that was in 1964) when I saw a Corgi "Bubble Car" on one of the pamphlets that used to come in the Corgi car boxes ( I have about 30 Corgi Cars from the 60's that I collected as a child). I have never even seen one up close, real or the Corgi. From your clip it felt like I could even smell that vintage car - unplastic smell and feel the vibrations. Cool Car!

@2stroketurbo

8 жыл бұрын

+rheniformer great review thank you !

Excellent! Isetta's are very fun indeed, what a treat you got to work one one. The 400cc blue sports car with electric shift was probably a Goggomobil. Very rare in Japan. If it was the fiberglass Goggomobil Dart then it was imported from Australia .

Cute Micro car : )

The door opens like a refrigerator because that is what the Italian company which designed the Isetta, a company called Iso if I remember correctly, actually made. Refrigerators. That's what gave them the idea of the front opening door.

6:36 when you see that big ass van

@Slipknot-ku4so

4 жыл бұрын

Raining Bass under rated

@carsareepic20

4 жыл бұрын

@@Slipknot-ku4so 1 year later lmao

Reminds me of my late aunt that had one in the sixties in Toronto..

I can not imagine this car in todays traffic. I could not do it to myself.

i didn't even know cars like this existed...

@2stroketurbo

10 жыл бұрын

they are stationary and do not swing out with the steering wheel

Yup. Just a classy, road legal go cart.....that goes up in value daily

looks cozy

The car is surprisingly quiet. She looks and sounds like a job well done.

Awwww thanks !

awesome!

Urkel's Car!!!!!

@jayrussell1825

6 жыл бұрын

Yes! I hear Urkel was eventually able to upgrade to a Edsel

@wesleyalan9179

6 жыл бұрын

Its an Isetta i said'a, lol!

You could never tell if someone was using a vibrator in there.The whole thing was vibrating so much anyway.

Hi 2stroketurbo, may be you would like to know this was the very first car full made in Brazil, under the name Romi Isetta, in 1956. With rights and original dies bought from Iso, firsts units were 2 cyl/ 2cycle, later 1cyl/4cycle.There's a film here on ytb with the brazilian assembly line. First models with siamese pistons are most sought after.I have a 1957 complete model, waiting for restoration in a barn for 28 years, what a shame! ahaha.Thanks for the ride, thanks for posting, oscar

@2stroketurbo

9 жыл бұрын

Great back ground information Oscar. Romi Isetta's are unheard of here in the US. I made a special trip in 2003 to Sao Paulo Brazil to buy parts for my DKW 3=6, Brazil also licensed those cars as Belcar Vemag as you probably already know. I would love to see a 2 cylinder 2 stroke Isetta . Thanks, Mark

@nuil501

9 жыл бұрын

Forte Maurizio Thank you. They were built in Brazil too.

@bennyhannover9361

8 жыл бұрын

+Forte Maurizio BMW bought a licence from Renzo Rivolta at that time and implemented the engine from the R25 motorbike. A one cylinder 250 cc with 12 horsepower, for the export version lenthened to 300cc and 13 hp. 120.000 were build between 1955 and 1962 in Germany.

i passed my driving test in one of these 3 wheel isetta in 1962

Cutest car ever.

I LOVE IT

It's got more of a driving seat!:-)

that is great!

Isetta's all have reverse gear, plus 4 forward gears, technically a 5 speed

This is my new car folks! Love it. Saw one yesterday -- candy apple red!!

I had a brand new 1959 Isetta 600.......wish I still had it...🤗

Engine sounds really good. I remember them being very noisy with lots of vibration. You can see the camera attached to the window is vibrating like crazy.

oh my! that experience will not be easily forgotten, sorry to hear this happened. Very sad.

@bruhee1078

4 жыл бұрын

Reply To people

omg that car is so cute lol

Well that looks safe!

Parts are easy to find, but beware, they are NOT cheap. Get the idea that small and cute = $. I took the engine cover off for test and tune. Super fun cars !

LOVE !!

Ah , good advice and so true

I want one!!!

좋은영상 잘 감상했어요.Touch that moment will be surprised???

96 thumbs down? Those people probably don't like puppies, kittens, and Girl Scout cookies.

thank you

This was one of the first cars to have 2 part (friction welded?) exhaust valves. The head of my exhaust valve came off and went through the piston. A real mess. I was the only kid at school with a car in 1972 ... they all laughed, but all stood at the bus stop! Me and my dad got 2 of them and swapped the bodies over making one good car. I wish I had kept it given the prices now. In the UK the import tax. licensing and then the mini killed off all the microcars (Bond, Trojan, Heinkel, Messerschmitt, etc.) They were very expensive for what they were but at least kept you out of the weather on a motorbike and side-car.

5:00 This vibration is what you get from a one cylinder engine?

There's no way back after you discover Isetta.......

I want this car 😌

yes-yes, there is noting else like them !

The hood is missing!

In the video snippet at the end, it looks like the Isetta gets spooked by the van coming down the road. You definitely would have to be brave or crazy to take this thing out onto the road and in traffic.

Yep, I would have the tires bald in a month if it were mine. I just wouldnt drive anything else, that would be it. Seen you had the hood off. When I was a tech for S--rs, I would be out repairing mowers all the time. One time I repaired a mower, left the hood off and went out across the yard to test drive it. The lady came out yelling at me to not drive it without the hood, it was embarrassing to her for her neighbors to see it like that. Haaa!!

Came here after seeing this car on The price is right from back in 1957.

Interesting that you replaced the con rod with a steel version. My 1958 Isetta (long gone now) had the original con rod and piston, and they were not up to the job. Mine dumped its con rod which caused all manner of horrible internal haemoraging, and would have cost more than the car was worth to fix. The gear change pattern on mine was conventional - same as a VW or Morris Minor. Col, NZ.

oh thank you =)

i had one of these in the 90's I hit it with my 72' Corniche while parking it in the garage. i hit the gas instead of the breaks and crushed to isetta and went thought the kitchen wall.

Dude u are awesome u look like bill nyes the science guys twin

Ahhhh. I did not know that. I do know the 4 wheeled Isetta rear binds when turning tightly due to the solid rear axle

Niceeeeee

Hey buddy, Steve Urkel called, he wants his car back! LOL I'm sorry, I know its a crappy joke but I couldn't resist!