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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[@chartreux1532]

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 KZbinrs/Reviewers the past Year Prost & Cheers from the Berchtesgadener Land in the Bavarian Alps

[@JayEmmOnCars]

Prost!

[@ChrisFEJackson]

What a legend your grandfather is, I'd love to see the cars he has with stories no doubt behind them.

[@richardharrold9736]

@@JayEmmOnCars I hope KZbin is mistranslating this when it says it translates as "Dumbass!".

[@DefenderPuma]

@@richardharrold9736 Prost is what you say in Germany as a toast. It means: Cheers!

[@paulricketts1089]

...I've got my Grandfather's Isetta too. It's in great original shape and a California car too. I had planned on restoring it someday.........

[@neiladam2832]

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

[@xeboi11]

😂

[@linkuhndave]

I remember mine being an orange color.

[@neiladam2832]

@@linkuhndave mine was dark metallic blue.

[@nicksanders1119]

I think my one was a pale green, before I painted it bright red, with Humbrol enamel. :-)

[@coachhussayn3379]

@@neiladam2832 bro that’s so cool, I had the same thing no one gives a fuck.

[@markziff7234]

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

[@CathodeRayNipplez]

Bwahahaha GOLD! 🏆

[@Sneka97]

Not that hard to achieve to be fair hahaha

[@SpecR22]

Even more so when you see it's wearing a thong.

[@altergreenhorn]

Everything looking better

[@georgec2126]

Amen to that! The current grille is simply a device for maximum intimidation, 10 feet behind you at 70 in the outside lane...😐

[@tonymiller3182]

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!

[@Harry-kk6qf]

Sounds like the same model that I still have. Assembled in Brighton, so maybe why they didn't put the BMW badge on it. Three people can lift it up and put it in the back of a van if necessary

[@kasperkjrsgaard1447]

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.

[@chrisrumble2665]

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

[@bensmithkent22]

Clarkson the long streak of piss got in something smaller that peel p50 thing and he was getting on a bit. Id say being tall is harder than being a bit round. Hes only 5’10. But yea this must have got hits for the curiosity factor alone.

[@chrislucy1812]

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.

[@nickgould9981]

The value has increased a bit since then!

[@chrislucy1812]

@@nickgould9981 don't rub it in!

[@ronalddaub9740]

Those are four-wheel cars the two rear wheels are close together Oh yeah the three wheelers are rare

[@ecologicaladam7262]

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!!

[@chrisweeks6973]

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.

[@justinbrown6558]

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.

[@nickgould9981]

Are you still in Edinburgh?

[@justinbrown6558]

@@nickgould9981 No. My parents sold the Isetta, moved down to England for his job soon after he qualified…he was a window cleaner to help pay for his (higher) education, but quit when he got his first post. I was born here, and I’m 48.

[@iandavidson99]

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

[@ronalddaub9740]

I need to drive a Vespa 400 2-stroke car I love underpowered)

[@megapangolin1093]

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.

[@btnbiker]

It was sad to see the old factory pulled down few years back to make way for luxury flats

[@highdownmartin]

@@btnbiker the works was demolished in the seventies.

[@royhorologic1732]

See my "review" above.

[@peterlorimer4865]

You saw a lot of them in Brighton because that's where they were UK assembled.

[@STEVIEBHOY]

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

[@jonnywalker3208]

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.

[@scubatrucker6806]

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

[@mpersad]

What fun this car must be to drive. Beautiful restoration, the owner clearly knows his onions! Great review.

[@iandavidson99]

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

[@ricardojuricic9027]

an Isetta BMW300 was my dad's 1st car, back in 1957, mummy used to tell me they'd lay me down on the carpet over the motor (I was months old then). It had 2 defenses on either side of the door, and front & rear bumpers. Once a double flat tire when an 11" nail went through both rear wheels together. Though they'd say it was quite cozy in cold weather; and they said it drove quite fine on the roads, just slightly shaking sideways when crossing trucks. Didn't last long, in 1959 changed it for a BMW600 DeCarlo when my sister was born; it had 4 wheels, rear ones same width as front ones, same kind of front door, though an extra door on the right to climb into the back seat. In 1962 change for a larger car as my 2nd sister was born. Yet before changing we all 5 went to Uruguay on holidays. Fond memories Nice review👍🤙👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻😃🤣 Saludos desde 🇦🇷 Argentina 👍🤙🤗💪

[@roastbeef1967]

BMW should release a M-version of the Isetta.

[@8draco8]

Nickname: The Deathwish

[@firefighterps2]

😊

[@venom5809]

Man I’ve always wanted one of these, they are so cool. 100% at a car show I’m making a beeline towards one of these.

[@matthewgodwin3050]

Aw, this car is so cute, I wouldn't know whether to drive it, or take it home and cuddle it. What a lovely little thing.

[@nagylevi3827]

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

[@andrewgurney6019]

Beautiful little car and immaculate, thanks for sharing.

[@dummatube]

I drove my yellow three wheeled version to school in the UK in 1968. Three of us on the bench seat and one more sitting on the parcel shelf and looking through the sunroof and a e got 55mph out of the 300cc single cylinder engine! Once I ran out of petrol in the rain so I opened the engine access plate behind the seat back, removed the spark plug and drove to the petrol station using the starter motor! So much fun!

[@rickc2102]

Coolest thumper on four wheels, and the most gorgeous restoration of one I've seen!

[@peterdixon7975]

Love the Goodwood FoS sticker in the window! 🙂

[@ozeskiman]

Another fascinating review. Great to see other cars owners sharing their passion with us through your channel. More of anything please, James.

[@peteacher52]

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!.

[@CRMN_Tech]

I was at that meet in Scotland, can confirm, we were all around Jay’s F12… then this parked and we all flocked to it 😂

[@strangebloke7]

Excellent! Brings back happy memories of my trips to nursery school back in 1966 in a blue version of this little beauty! 👍

[@AntoniusTyas]

Feels like deja vu Also, loving the Isetta video. I used to hate the Isetta because it's weird. But as I got older I start to appreciate the weird, and the Isetta is on my list of weird cars I want to see.

[@georgec2126]

By the way, these are now available in electric form as the Microlino, made in Bern in Switzerland! Brilliant. 😎

[@dummatube]

When I was 18 at art college in Worthing, Sussex I played blues harmonica in a group called ‘Terraplane’ but because of my little yellow three wheeled Isetta I got the job of carting the drum kit to each gig. Maybe my musical skills were not the real reason I was invited to play with them?!

[@mairenared]

Great video James. My father had one of these in the mid 1960s. It was the three wheeler version in red. I was only 13 at the time and we could get my father, my 11 year old brother and me in the car. It was extremely light and my father's pupils (he was a teacher) picked it up and parked it forward against a wall as a prank so he couldn't get into it! I remember going to see my mother in hospital in the summer of 1966 and on our way back as we came around Penmaen Head a gust of wind lifted the car off the ground and we were airborne. Fortunately, we landed with a bump and survived but it was a scary moment! I have a Kinsmart model of the car in two-tone red and white to remind me of those days.

[@TheMrFishnDucks]

This is fantastic. Thank you for showcasing interesting cars like this. Nice video. Keep up the good work.

[@ToreHansen]

The flyby is just cute. Great video and epic car.

[@nikilauda7499]

Beautifully filmed! Thanks a lot! Still have an Isetta in my possession, waiting to be renewed again (first renewal was in 1983). Since than, driven for about 1000 km and waits in the garage for better days. Love it!

[@timbre7999]

Brilliant review, full of humor, facts and lovely images. Looks scary and wonderful at the same time.

[@colechapman6976]

If I ever find myself in an emergency situation, and the only escape car is a BMW Isetta, this video will suddenly be extremely useful

[@albertseabra9226]

Isettas were really great do be driven in cities. Although some people would go across Europe -- and they used to get to their destinations. This vehicle was highly convenient. One my Friends owned one in Lisbon, Portugal. As a teenager, I loved to go on errands across the City. Arriving to our destination, we Always found a parking spot exactly in front "our" store or Café. Nowadays people park a Smart facing the sidewalk, between two regular cars. At the time, we could to already that. And the car's door opened into the sidewalk -- quite convenient !

[@mito7623]

What a joy! First time that a video about an Isetta got me smiling and wanting to squeeze myself into one quite badly. Amazing job!

[@juleyhands2781]

My Dad had one of these a Red one! He would get 2 Adults in and 4 Kids in the storage space ! We absolutely loved 🥰 it we all cried 😢when it went ! Thank you for sharing it bring back awesome memories ❤️🌈👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻❤️

[@eze8970]

Very quaint & quirky! A good reminder of how not everyone could afford & just jump into a car in the past as technology improved. Thanks J!

[@johnfaulkner6776]

I had a blue Issetta back in about 1968. The knack in driving it was to go hell for leather and always with gritted teeth! Important also to cover the battery terminals with a rubber mat or, as happened to me, the metal mesh supporting the seat squab could short the battery and ignite the seat foam if you had more than two people on the front seat!

[@dominicrichardson5546]

It looks way faster than I thought it'd be 😂

[@tinkertalksguns7289]

Always loved these little things, but by the time I could own a 3rd car just for fun they weren't affordable for me anymore. Weirdly a 1974 Alfa Romeo Spider 2000 was, so I had to umm, settle for that. I was not excessively disappointed; in fact the Alfa was my daily driver for years.

[@ckmurphy1]

I found you quite by accident when you were in FL a few years ago and I love your channel, your car choices are epic!

[@JayEmmOnCars]

Thanks!

[@robreeves9825]

Strange one this, but it's actually your oddity and curiosity reviews that I really enjoy.

[@jimmypratt6450]

More off these classics please .

[@whitefields5595]

Appeared to have a lot of chassis flex in those under-body shots? I had one of these while at school. The only one with a car! It dropped the head off the two-piece exhaust valve. Good job I bought two complete cars plus a spare engine. Me and dad made one good one. Mine had the single rear wheel which always gave entertainment. Wish I'd mothballed it somewhere. This is a great resto ... no expense spared

[@Harry-kk6qf]

Great video, thank you. I have a 300cc 3-wheeler Isetta, assembled in the Brighton works. I bought it as a young man in the mid 1960s. Great draw for the girls who couldn't resist it! I did 60 mph down hill with a following wind. It has now been in storage for about forty years. I would love to give it an overhaul and get it on the road again. Your video is an inspiration.

[@ashleydavall]

I remember as a kid being fascinated by the Isetta after seeing one on the show Heartbeat, set in the 1960s. Trish, the barmaid in the show drove one.

[@waters1801]

I very much enjoy your content, thank you.

[@reallynotpc]

That looks fully as much fun as I expected! Much more so than my Piaggio Ape van.

[@alexmills6086]

In my opinion you're are a very natural car journalist and presenter. You speak about the cars as if you have a well planned script of what your thoughts are on the car in question similar to those good old top gear reviews of the 90s.

[@marklotinga]

It's a yes from me in terms of more weird, wacky and wonderful. Be sure to point out all the various quirks and features too. 😏 Much as you mention, my Dad was a biker who moved up/on to owning one of these. A real joy of a video and a really nice change of pace. Literally.

[@bcfairlie1]

Brilliant. Absolutely total fun I would happily potter about 8n one of these, where I live. (There are no hills).

[@christhai2508]

Well done! Love your channel. Hope you will soon get further recognition in subscribers and views.

[@griswald7156]

Mine was left hand drive with three wheels…and it drank oil which caused its demise…and the steering used to drift in all directions..i replaced the vulcanised doughnuts ..and the Speedo cable sheered off at the gear casing….it was a gorgeous car…my second hand one lasted me a week..also the cabin stunk of petrol..i had it in 1968…i wish i still had it ,i swapped it for a J reg Yamaha 50…i passed my car test in 1973..

[@DavidFordy]

My parents bought me one of these when I was 16 - mainly to keep me off of a motorcycle. Heaps of fun and could carry up to four teenagers (No. 4 with head out of the sunroof). On winter mornings the gear lever would freeze solid and the clutch peddle would bind on its spindle and leave you sitting in the middle of the road with the engine reving and going nowhere. Traded up to four wheels when I could but have often wished I had another - especially now with those second-hand prices.

[@murrieteacher]

The car model even made it to Australia. Great video Jay.

[@ThreeCoos]

Great video, much prefer this to the Supercar reviews. Love that wee engine at idle - so cool 😎

[@lrs3]

Damn it, now I want an Isetta.

[@S-Ltd1000]

I vaguely recall these being a fairly common sight on the roads as a young boy in the late 60s, early 70s.

[@user-zn8ew8dj2n]

Great Little Car, And Right Hand Drive, That's what the Microlino should have.

[@johnbeeston2473]

love them as a kid still do

[@mansonnanson8294]

This car is hooooorrriiiiiid!!!!

[@jeffeloso]

I had the 3 wheel version for 3 years in the mid 1970s. You can stuff it into first gear without depressing the clutch and drive off. Changing down really required a double de-clutch. I think someone said it was a dog-clutch gear box. On mine the gearbox was the only thing that did not go wrong. No fuel gauge - just a changeover lever to go onto reserve which was about 1/2 gallon. Mine used to eat spark plugs, so I always carried spare plugs and a plug spanner - you change it through a little panel behind the seat . I did about 30,000 miles in it.

[@jamesengland7461]

This was a wonderful video!

[@darrenjosephgregory]

Glorious car!

[@johnburton6984]

Super commentary on this great little car.. I used to ride to work in a friend's one for a time, such fun.. A full restoration one sold in New Zealand recently for $40k NZ.. I however ended up buying a very different car, Lotus Evora Launch Edition but still want to get hold of this super-car... Regards from NZ

[@ChrisFEJackson]

Best review & car ever! What better way to bring mobility and motoring to the masses. Messerschmidt did a similar thing also I believe.

[@stevemitchell4914]

Refreshing!

[@sputumtube]

My father has the three-wheeled version when I was a child in the 1960's. He didn't keep it long but I do remember being a passenger in it a few times.

[@ranekeisenkralle8265]

Ahh.. The Isetta. What an adorable little thing, don't you think, Jay? Over here in Germany you still do see some of them driving around once in a while - mostly in summertime though. I remember some years ago (before social gatherings went to hell in a handbasket), I was at a small oldtimer-festival where they had about half a dozen of these lined up next to one another - as if waiting for a race to start.

[@MartyMcFlyTop1]

Looks amazing)

[@thedetailingdoctor5746]

Can’t wait to see that charger!

[@strangebloke7]

The Charger’s mine. I also can’t wait to see it on film. 👍

[@poutramos4826]

Great video! I'd love an Isetta.

[@RedLP5000S]

Oh yeah! Can't wait to see you carve out the road with that Charger. ✌🏻🇺🇸

[@replevideo6096]

I had an Isetta 3-wheeler with no reverse gear. In fact they all had reverse but the UK version had it blocked off. The law changed in 1963 so I was able to remove the blanking pin which took just a couple of minutes. The brakes were the same as a Mini, so were amazingly sharp in such a light car.

[@2702simmo]

Enjoyed that video Can’t wait for the charger. Hero car I’ve driven one , it was crap to drive really but If I won the lottery it would still be one of my first purchases

[@MrMadzilla]

Watch this a few days ago, with out the intro, but enjoyed it all the same

[@robertmaitland09]

The best kind of car, not fast but feels fast!

[@gph42]

Tremendous James.

[@davidthegolfer]

James, what an excellent and fun review. Very good restoration and you would have sold me one when new. Great fun, well done. I don’t laugh very much at the moment and my wife said “so good to hear you laughing”. Brilliant. I have been searching for a pic of a large snail in disguise as a turbocharger for the BMW.

[@JayEmmOnCars]

Thanks David :) glad you both enjoyed it

[@MadeleineTakam]

It takes an extraordinarily brave man to get in; And drive this on a busy road.

[@gryfandjane]

Peculiar, yes… but also quite clever, taking circumstances into account. I’d love to ride in one someday!

[@ferrellmontgomery4703]

I was so hoping for a rev up in the tunnel!! 😁😁❤️❤️

[@seinsmeld13]

Great review Jay. Thankfully these cars were not available here in Canada. Cheers.

[@gregshamieh6339]

Folks looking to keep one of these running can obtain many engine parts from their BMW motorcycle dealer -- BMW, being incurably cheap, 'borrowed' the motor from their single cylinder motorcycles of the day - i.e. the R25, R26 and R27. Most ignition and engine internals are interchangeable. The cooling fan, though, is unique to the Isetta. ;-) By the way, the sketchy idle/stalling you mentioned may be as simple as a carb float adjustment -- while you were showing off the engine in the vid, I could clearly see fuel dripping from the carb. Step 1 is to drop and drain the bowl of stale/crappy fuel, and make sure the float needle is moving freely. If that doesn't work, bend the float tabs to lower the fuel level in the bowl. That ought to suss it!

[@woodhousejohn6745]

Great video. Really enjoyed it. I had 2 of these (3 wheelers) in 1966/7. I paid £60 for the first, and £40 for the second because the exhaust was damaged. I so wish I’d just kept them. The “boys” in those days sometimes removed the counterbalance weight from the right hand drive version (behind the trim on the left hand side of the cabin). This resulted in a noticeably lighter car because the weight was a very heavy cast iron lump. It also resulted in a scary drive as turning left was like teetering on a cliff edge. Not recommended (or legal). Even with the weight on board the car could be properly slung round traffic islands because most of the mass of the car was on the right. Turning left at speed to exit the island was a different kettle of fish! Happy days…

[@johnwjeromejr]

Thanks for this very entertaining video of the comical Isetta. It looks scary to drive and nerve-wracking to observe in motion, especially downhill. Glad there wasn't a sharp blind turn at the bottom.

[@artbk]

Very neat little thing and props to the owner for the restoration! Wating for that Dodge tho!

[@nickgould9981]

The Dodge is a beast!

[@robertlloyd7493]

Great item 👍

[@redemption-leadership]

My parents had the three wheeler when they were dating in the early sixties; no reverse gear, but they put black dots and antenna on it, and then called it the ladybird. Great to see this review, nice one! Perhaps do the Messerschmitt next.

[@sparky4878]

Do enjoy these reviews more than supercars and modern stuff. Can get those from so many places. It’s the more unusual things I like on here. Someone near me has an old Fiat 500. It’s so tiny, but perhaps a Range Rover compared to this.

[@grayfool]

Only 52 views? What is wrong with everyone? Huge fun, good one James.

[@ronalddaub9740]

Best car ever in my opinion. If I had one hour drive it forever

[@plunder1956]

My Neighbours back in Dublin had one in the very early 60s and it was cute even then. It was soon replaced by a Triumph Herald.

[@clarksonoceallachain8536]

Someone shoulda told him what daihatsu is Oof

[@user-dm2bl6jf1x]

Very cute !!