BMW Isetta 300, 1957
BMW Isetta
BMW Isetta•
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Chassis No.: 505025
Auction: Monterey 2019
Auction date: August 17, 2019
Lot No.: F74
$33,000 | Sold
- Exterior: White/Orange
- Interior: Gray
- Comprehensive restoration
- 298cc 4-stroke single-cylinder engine
- 15 HP and 14 ft/lbs of torque
- 4-speed manual transmission
- Swing arm rear suspension
- Rear leaf springs
- Two-tone Orange and White paint
- Gray interior
- Sliding ragtop sunroof
- Painted steel wheels
Whenever automobile enthusiasts think microcar, chances are the unforgettable BMW Isetta is the first to come up for discussion. Certain to gather attention and attract scores of smiling admirers wherever one appears, the Isetta was initially conceived in Italy by successful industrialist Renzo Rivolta, who earned his fortune producing the successful Isothermos line of refrigeration equipment. Tiny, economical and easy to enter and exit with a large swing-open door up front, the Isetta was perfectly suited to narrow urban streets and helped mobilize postwar Italy during the 1950s.
It was soon built under license by BMW in Germany, where it also enjoyed wide use carrying mail for the Bundespost. Isettas were also exported to North America, where their diminutive proportions and cheeky presence drew national media attention on a number of popular TV variety shows. Two BMW-built versions of these deceptively simple vehicles were produced between 1955 and 1962: firstly the Isetta 250 with a 247cc air-cooled, single-cylinder engine (1955-62), soon joined by the slightly more-powerful Isetta 300 with a 298cc engine (1956-62), represented by the example offered here.
Despite its unconventional design, the Isetta was an important BMW model with 74,312 examples of the Isetta 250 and 87,416 of the Isetta 300 built. Today, the surviving examples enjoy strong collector demand. Benefiting from a comprehensive restoration, this 1957 BMW Isetta 300 features eye-catching two-tone orange and white paint, gray interior upholstery, a sliding soft sunroof and painted steel wheels. Delivering 13 to 15 HP—depending on the source quoted—at 5,000 to 5,200 RPM, it is theoretically capable of reaching about 53 MPH in concert with a 4-speed manual transmission (plus reverse) driving a motorcycle-style rear swingarm system.
Utterly charming and handsomely presented, this 1957 BMW Isetta 300 is tangible proof that necessity is indeed the mother of invention.
