1960 BMW Isetta – Bubble Car

***Available for a revised price of £20,950***

We have consigned this little Isetta and isn’t she just gorgeous – this little car is stunning in every respect and has had a lot of money spent on it recently. It must be one of, if not the best example on the market today.

If you have any questions you’d like to ask Steve then please click here to send him a message – Steve will get back to you asap.

We can help arrange transportation for our sales, delivering anywhere in the UK or mainland Europe – please see happy customers in our reviews that we’ve helped.

Recent Buyer Review – Simon Welsh on 1st May “Found my ideal 90’s sports car on Trade Classics. Living in Bournemouth and the car being in the Midlands I relied heavily on the advert, photos and videos.

Thanks very much Trade Classics and I’m now looking out for my next classic to add to the collection.”.

Click here to see this and all reviews on Google.

The car originated with the Italian firm of Iso SpA. In the early 1950s the company was building refrigerators, motor scooters and small three-wheeled trucks. Iso’s owner, Renzo Rivolta, decided to build a small car for mass distribution and by 1952 the engineers Ermenegildo Preti and Pierluigi Raggi had designed a small car that used the motorcycle engine of the Iso Moto 200 and named it Isetta — an Italian diminutive meaning little iso.

Renzo Rivolta wanted to concentrate on his new Iso Rivolta sports car, and was extremely interested in doing licensing deals. Plants in Spain and Belgium were already assembling Isettas and Autocarros using Italian made Iso components. BMW began talking with Rivolta in mid-1954 and bought not just a license but the complete Isetta body tooling as well. Rivolta did not stop with licensing the Isetta to BMW. He negotiated similar deals with companies in France and Brazil.

After constructing some 1,000 units, production of the Italian built cars ceased in 1955, although Iso continued to build the Isetta in Spain until 1958.

Steve is a petrol head – he’s just like us here at Trade Classics. As we know, one classic is never enough, and he’s got a lovely collection of cars including a stunning V12 E-Type. Steve bought this car over five years ago after falling in love with it. And I can understand why, it’s has something about it that you instantly fall in love with and want.

Steve took me out in it to film our usual ‘On the Road’ and ‘Meet the Owner’ videos (links below) and I was surprised just how usable this type of car actually is. We kept a steady 40 mph and it felt great. I can’t think of a more perfect city car – well the coolest city car.

Unfortunately Steve is limited on space and he is in the process of buying a boat, so he plans to use the proceeds of this sale towards the new purchase. Steve loves the car but he just doesn’t use it much, and it’s a shame to be sitting in the garage all the time – it needs to be used and loved by a new owner now.

There’s no doubt about it, this car looks stunning and has had a very good restoration in the past. Please make sure you take a look at all the images and videos in this listing – you won’t be disappointed in the quality of this little car.

Wheels & Tyres
The car is fitted with original steel wheels with Falken tyres.

Bodywork
As you would expect, the car looks excellent in terms of both rust and rot upon our usual visual inspection – I didn’t see any signs of either. Please check out the images and videos to see the detailed condition of each body panel. You’ll also see the reflections in the videos to see just how good this car is.

Paint
The red paint is absolutely stunning and fresh and looks eye-popping against the chrome. The paint is in excellent condition – it’s even across the panels and I didn’t notice any colour differences. There’s a small mark on the NS rear panel that has been pointed out in the video – it’s very small.

Glass and Trim
Both are in excellent condition across the car. The vinyl hood is in good condition as can be seen in the images.

The interior is really beautiful – it’s been restored perfectly and a credit to the restoration.

Seats and Carpets
Both the seats and carpets are in great condition – they must have been subject to the restoration that was actioned in the past. There are pictures in the media pack of the front foot well carpets being lifted too.

Dashboard
The speed gauge and interior is in very good condition, as can be seen in the media file.

Steering Wheel / Gear Stick
Both are in excellent condition with no issues.

As mentioned, Steve took me out for a short drive on some back roads around Henley on Thames – I was seriously impressed with this little car. It felt good and strong and really enjoyed the experience – this car brings a big grin to the occupants and the people outside.

Engine and Gearbox
The car started first go from cold – there was no blue smoke (see the cold start video). The engine soon settled into a smooth tick over. I didn’t notice any blue smoke either during cold or hot start, or when manoeuvring around the courtyard. Steve has also spent over £3.5k on the engine and other work back in 2015 (see invoice) – this was done by the Bromley Bubble Company and will give the new owner peace of mind that everything that could have been done, has been done, and the car can simply be enjoyed.

Suspension and Brakes
There were no knocks or rattles on the drive out. Please watch the video to see the car accelerating, steering and stopping. It preformed just as you’d expect it – a credit to the high quality restoration that was actioned.

The Drive
The engine really pulls the car along – it’s very nippy considering it was carrying two adults and was happy around 40 mph. There were no issues detected on the drive.

Electrics and Other
There are hardly any electrics on the car, however, Steve informs us the basics all work as they should.

Steve and his wife have owned and enjoyed this car since 2015 – there are lots of invoices in the images below showing all the work Steve has had done. Importantly, he’s used top specialists, Bromley Bubble Car, to perform the work.

Current indicated mileage is 54,263 miles on 26/07/2019.

HPi Check Results
– HPi check clear, available on request.

If you’re in the market for an Isetta then this is the car for you. All the important and costly work has been done and Steve has been very realistic with his reserve price – whilst we can’t disclose this, I can tell you it will be one of the best value Isettas on the market today – please don’t let this little thing get away.

As a ‘car guy’ I can tell you that I would love this car in my collection – it’s in simply stunning condition.

What’s not to love about this car.

ADAM PURRIER
This auction listing was written by Adam from information gained from Steve (owner and seller of the vehicle) and having visited and photographed the vehicle.

If you have any specific questions about the vehicle then please use the comments section below. I will receive a notification and will reply as soon as he can. I may need to check answers with Steve as he won’t be able to reply himself.