Details
1955 BMW BUBBLE WINDOW 300 ISETTA 'FOUR WHEELER'
Registration No. 8 FMU
Chassis No. 408-721
Engine No. 317848
BMW silver with black/grey upholstery.
Engine: Single cylinder, 297cc giving 13bhp at 5,200pm; Gearbox: four speed manual with reverse; Brakes: Four wheel drum; Suspension: front, leading swing arms and coil springs, rear, rigid axle with quarter elliptic leaf springs. Left hand drive.
During the latter half of the 1950s BMW were desperate to recoup losses sustained by their expensive luxury 503 and 507 sports cars and negotiated to build under licence from Renzo Rivolta of Iso, Milan, his mini-car, the Isetta. This was first launched in 1953 powered by a 250cc twin cylinder two stroke engine, in 1955 the BMW version was launched, and although retaining the basic concept of front opening door and narrow rear track, BMW had substituted their own 250cc single cylinder four stroke motorcycle engine (12bhp) and was known as the 250. A short while later they introduced the BMW Isetta 300 with their 300cc engine producing 13bhp. In 1957 these models were built under licence at Brighton and in England the three wheelers were road taxed as a motorcycle. They obtained the general name 'Bubble Cars' which included the Messerschmit and the Heinkel (later the Trojan), and were to beome almost a 'cult' car in that they were fun to drive, easy to park and handle in traffic and their unusual but very practical design was smart. The BMW Isetta was the trend setter and besides being cheaper to buy and run than the smallest motor car, their performance was credible with 60-70 mpg and nearly 60 mph top speed.
This rare four wheeler has a fine pedigree, its first owner was the late Piers Courage who was sadly killed in Formula One motor racing and the current owner purchased it from his widow many years ago. It is thought Piers brought the Isetta into the UK as a private import from Germany where he served in the armed forces. 8 FMU was stored until 1993 when the owner decided to give the car a full body rebuild and respray, the mechanical work was done at an earlier stage. The mileage from new is a mere 27000. The only minor fault noted was a slight crack in the rear window. This early car is very rare in having the true bubble windows, the later cars having the sliding windows, and it is thought these early four wheelers probably only came in as private imports. There is a thriving Isetta Owners Club with access to spares, 8 FMU comes with a large file of information and the workshop manuals.
Registration No. 8 FMU
Chassis No. 408-721
Engine No. 317848
BMW silver with black/grey upholstery.
Engine: Single cylinder, 297cc giving 13bhp at 5,200pm; Gearbox: four speed manual with reverse; Brakes: Four wheel drum; Suspension: front, leading swing arms and coil springs, rear, rigid axle with quarter elliptic leaf springs. Left hand drive.
During the latter half of the 1950s BMW were desperate to recoup losses sustained by their expensive luxury 503 and 507 sports cars and negotiated to build under licence from Renzo Rivolta of Iso, Milan, his mini-car, the Isetta. This was first launched in 1953 powered by a 250cc twin cylinder two stroke engine, in 1955 the BMW version was launched, and although retaining the basic concept of front opening door and narrow rear track, BMW had substituted their own 250cc single cylinder four stroke motorcycle engine (12bhp) and was known as the 250. A short while later they introduced the BMW Isetta 300 with their 300cc engine producing 13bhp. In 1957 these models were built under licence at Brighton and in England the three wheelers were road taxed as a motorcycle. They obtained the general name 'Bubble Cars' which included the Messerschmit and the Heinkel (later the Trojan), and were to beome almost a 'cult' car in that they were fun to drive, easy to park and handle in traffic and their unusual but very practical design was smart. The BMW Isetta was the trend setter and besides being cheaper to buy and run than the smallest motor car, their performance was credible with 60-70 mpg and nearly 60 mph top speed.
This rare four wheeler has a fine pedigree, its first owner was the late Piers Courage who was sadly killed in Formula One motor racing and the current owner purchased it from his widow many years ago. It is thought Piers brought the Isetta into the UK as a private import from Germany where he served in the armed forces. 8 FMU was stored until 1993 when the owner decided to give the car a full body rebuild and respray, the mechanical work was done at an earlier stage. The mileage from new is a mere 27000. The only minor fault noted was a slight crack in the rear window. This early car is very rare in having the true bubble windows, the later cars having the sliding windows, and it is thought these early four wheelers probably only came in as private imports. There is a thriving Isetta Owners Club with access to spares, 8 FMU comes with a large file of information and the workshop manuals.