The BMW ISETTA Microcar. It was created by ISO in 1953 at Bresso, very close to Milan, and the found

The BMW motorcycle sales were dropping in the fifties because cars become synonymous of status, but car sales were dropping also for BMW, so something had to be done in order to keep the factory doors open.

This change started when Eberhard Wolff, the Chief Executive of Development of BMW in those years discovered an unusual design at the Geneva Motor Show 1954.

It was a very small Italian design car, built to fit only two persons and the originality of this development was that it had only one front door and when you opened it, it will bring with it also the steering wheel.

It was created by ISO in 1953 at Bresso, very close to Milan, and the founder was Count Renzo Rivolta., being this tiny car, the answer that Wolff was searching.

This design was so cheap to manufacture, that the final price should be not much higher than a motorcycle and should be the answer to get to the mass market.

It was hard to convince the head of BMW, always close to performance and luxury cards, to go ahead with the Isetta project.

BMW and Count Renzo Rivolta began their talks in mid-fifties and it was good news for Iso boss, as the little Isetta sales began to drop due to the launch of the new Fiat 500.

For count Rivolta, the deal could not be better as he sold to BMW not only the license, but also the complete tooling

In April 1955 the first german manufactured BMW Isetta with a 250 cc engine was launched and only six months later, nearly ten thousand bubble cars were made.

The Isetta’s performance was not the best one, as it needed 40 seconds to reach 50 miles per hour, with a top speed of 52 miles per hour.

Germans were very happy with this car, but the lack of power was the only complaint, so, only one year later, a 300 cc engine was developed.

In October of 1956, a new body styling was launched, with nearly three inches longer and sliding side windows in both sides.

Count Renzo Rivolta took the deal with BMW as an example to follow, and that’s what he did, with Velam from France and in Brazil with Romi.

Also in 1956 they exported a three-wheeler version to the United Kingdom, being the Aldington brothers their representation. But one year later, Dunsfold Tools of Brighton held the distribution, and they created the Isetta Ltd subsidiary.

The “Bubble cars” were getting extremely popular in Europe, and Isetta was not alone, as Messerschmitt, Heinkel, Zundapp and Goggomobil, among others were battling in the same field.

The Isettas were manufactured in Germany until 1962, but already in 1957, the BMW “600, with longer wheelbase and more a car-like shape was in the market.

In total, 161.728 Isettas were manufactured and today, they are authentic “Cult Cars”.