How To Drive a 1959 BMW Isetta Bubble Car

Today on the channel, the coolest car you will ever see - and I get to drive it! This is a 1959 BMW Isetta Bubble Car.

#Isetta #BMW #Bubblecar

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[chartreux]

My Grandfather (Now almost 102 years old) still drove his BMW Isetta up to when he was 94 Years old, usually to get to the next Marketplace to buy Apples etc. He still has it in his Garage together with his old 1971 Opel Kadett B-1900 Rallye Coupe, which still runs perfectly despite having around 200.000km on it.
He mainly was able to drive the BMW Isetta until Age 94 because it's easy to drive & park because of it's Size.
Funny little Car and i'm happy to see these get some Attention from Car Youtubers/Reviewers the past Year
Prost & Cheers from the Berchtesgadener Land in the Bavarian Alps

[neiladam]

I had a corgi model car of this when I was a kid. It was only slightly smaller than the real thing.

[kasperkjrsgaard]

My grandfather had one in Copenhagen. For some reason he wasn’t able to get a drivers license but after numerous attempts - and failures - the driving instructor gave permission to optain a motorcycle license and then buy an Isetta. Some years later there were some changes in the drivers licenses, they added a specific sidecar and solo slot, and he was able to switch his motorcycle license to a car license.
Out with the Isetta and in with a Renault Dauphine.

[tonymiller]

Ahh! My first car, an Isetta 300+ (never knew what the “plus” meant), back in 1966 when I was 16. It was blue, single back wheel ( so could be driven at age 16), didn't have a BMW plaque on the front, but the engine was marked thus. It had two bumpers that projected either side of the door, and you could grab one of these & lift the front up. Mine was pretty reliable, but for some reason the engine would misfire if you went over 45mph, & having no fuel gauge meant I sometimes forgot to dip my home-made dipstick into the tank & was always running out of petrol. Happy days!

[iandavidson]

One of the joys of an unpowered vehicle, is the sheer pleasure derived from simply working to keep your momentum up. Love it!

[ecologicaladam]

We had one when I was small - my dad's 'daily driver' to work. On family outings, my parents sat in the front (6ft 8" and 5ft 10") with my brother and I on the shelf behind them - with the family corgi between us!
Later, my brother bought one to restore and we got it up to 60mph going downhill (overtaking a rather surprised Jag): one of the more frightening experiences of my life!!

[chrislucy]

I bought one of these (3 wheel model) in 1974 for the princely sum of £35, mine was maroon with a 305cc motor and chrome crash bars in front. It would easily carry me and the girlfriend, her two year old and folded pushchair on the rear shelf. Great fun to drive, 65 odd to the gallon and I had it on two wheels (including a front wheel stoppie) on many occasion.
The l/h crash bar was bolted through the body to a 3×8×10" solid steel billet counterweight.

[chrisrumble]

I think I speak for everyone when I say that what we all really wanted to see was you getting in! 😀

[chrisweeks]

Back in 1963/4 I owned a red LHD BMW 300 3-wheel version. The LHD version is easier to drive, as the gear lever comes out of the l/h side and the rod linkages are more direct. I bought mine because I was fed up with almost freezing to death on my motorcycle on my 75-mile commute in the snow and ice of winter. The heater on the car was actually quite effective and the bench seat was surprisingly comfortable.

[megapangolin]

Saw loads of these during my childhood in Brighton. We need more reviews of classic cars like this, I was smiling all the way through, that never happens when you are reviewing a mainstream flash car. Well done, great video.

[jonnywalker]

Does anyone think Jay realises just how much of a blessing he is to us car guys? What an absolute gem of a bloke we've been blessed with.

[justinbrown]

My dad had one of these in the 60’s. He used to transport ladders in them (through the sunshine roof) when he was a window cleaner for a few years in Edinburgh.

[markziff]

Still, way better looking than the current BMW's front end!

[andrewgurney]

Beautiful little car and immaculate, thanks for sharing.

[iandavidson]

You need to review my Sinclair C5 next !! :)

[scubatrucker]

I agree this is the coolest car on the planet. I love it

[STEVIEBHOY]

My neighbour in Dublin has just got one as a project... it's just a shell and rolling chassis at the minute 👍

[peteacher]

I had a 1958 Isetta from 1967 to 1969 and did about 15000 mi in it when it threw an engine even though my cruising speed was 37 mph. Admittedly it had probably been around the clock before I got it. Replacing the broken parts with BMW parts cost more than the car's market value at the time so a mechanic friend suggested putting a Honda stationery engine in it. But performance was aunty and the motor had no generator so the battery operated on a dead loss system, needing regular charging; and if that motor stalled, one had to hop out and pull the recoil rope starter! Hindsight is always 20/20. Little did we know that even if we had bought the genuine BMW bits, the car's collector value would soon go through the roof; the little Bubble that cost us NZ$180 in 1967 would fairly soon be worth $20000+ I carried two little 4.00x10 Conti tyres around with me for years afterwards until seeing a Bubble Car in an Auto museum, so I gave them the tyres and they immediately fitted them to their Isetta. I drove mine from Auckland to Napier twice and from Auckland to Ngatea once a week so it did very little short running on a cold engine. It was a quirky wee car with oodles of snappy character and I actually miss it more in my old age than I did when it "passed along" 54 years ago!.

[nagylevi]

Weird, wacky and wonderful indeed. I'm glad you got to sample it and share the experience.

[roastbeef]

BMW should release a M-version of the Isetta.