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Home > BMW Isetta - A Real Bug Of A Car
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BMW Isetta - A Real Bug Of A Car by Dale Smith
Here I am enjoying the beautiful day on my back porch. It is so nice to breath in the fresh air of the day. My brother, who is a world trekker, does not understand my obsession of the Internet. I think there are a couple of reasons for this. First, he never learned to type efficiently, just barely reaching a 'hunt and peck' mode. And, secondly, he is like my dad ... always wanting to be on the go.
Frankly, I just never really liked to browse around the globe but always enjoyed the clossness of my community. I have a lot of friends that call me daily and that is enough for me. Foreigners never really piqued my interest. Don't get me wrong, I have been around a lot but, now, really enjoy my comfortable back porch. Just a difference in personalities, I guess. But I am totally satisfied with my lot.
But back to today. I am here today to chat about another automobile I once owned. Well, it was sort of an automobile. Strange looking vehicle, it only had one door and this was directly in the front. Yep, you got in the bugger over the front bumper. And it had a rather small motorcyle engine. OK, not to keep you in a puzzle any longer, it was a BMW Isetta. Funny name for this mode of transportation, that was what it was called. A combination of a BMW motorcycle and an Italian coachbuilder named Isetta. Probably this description will cause a little discontent from the more astute of the motoring world, I am pretty sure I am correct in this.
Nevertheless, I am writing this to describe my experience with the car, not my adroitness and knowledge of the beast. With all its short comings, the Isetta was a lot of fun. My family used it during the time that gasolene was less than half a buck a gallon. The same car would today be a real boon. Used to drive the three-wheeler for less than a dollar for the whole week! Uh-oh, you caught me. I was not really a three-wheeler but did look like one because the back two wheels were very close together. Matter of fact, these two wheels were just spaced apart from each other to make room for a single shaft from the almost stock BMW progressive transmission. With the wheels that close, a differential was not really neccessary. I think that was the reason.
You may be asking, "What is a progressive transmission?" With almost all cars equipped with an automatic these days, the only alternative is a selective transmission, which means you 'select' whatever gear you need 'selectively'. However, in a 'progressive' transmission, you must go from a lower gear directly to the next 'higher' gear. Sounds sort of strange but that is what most motorcycles have for a transmission. You just use your foot to activate the gear changes. Understand? Of course, gear selection of the Isetta was accomplished by a lever close by your left side. Not your foot!
But to go back to the strange, little Isetta. There was room for only a couple of normal adults, with a small package shelf aft and over the engine. Now, that made a perfect place for our young offspring. He rode many miles on that sturdy shelf, when he wasn't bumping along in the back of my Porsche Speedster that appeared after one of many trades in my automotive diary..
Painted a muted yellow, it was quite a sensation in the small Texas town in which we lived at the time. Amidst mostly Fords, Chevys, Dodges (and a few Hudsons and Pontiacs) and a lot of pickup trucks, that little bubble of a car really stood out. We had a great time and drove many miles. Never did have the audaciousness to travel very far but, for close to home, it was swell. Well, maybe to a nearby community of less than thirty miles, we stayed close to home.
Really not sure what I did with the Isetta. I think I traded it in on a Chevy station wagon. You know, pressure from the grandparents to get a "proper" car for the little one. Fact of the matter, I think he was completely happy with his backseat perch, but ...
I really miss that little bug.. See BMW Isetta info.
About the Author
I really miss that little bug.. See BMW Isetta info (http://www.bmwworld.com/models/vintage/isetta.htm).
Dale R Smith drsmith7684@sbcglobal.net
http://www.dalzmoneytree.com
Career spent in teaching and training, both as a civilian and military trainer. Mr Smith has been a teacher in public schools, college and university and both the US Army and US Navy. A graphic artist and photographer with many prize winning designs
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