Isetta 300

300 · 1956–1962RWDMicrocar

Engine enlarged to 298 cc (72 mm bore, 73 mm stroke) for 13 PS at 5200 rpm and noticeably more pull, with the same 85 km/h top speed. Built from November 1956 to April 1962 at 2,860 marks. BMW's own record gives more than 51,000 cars in Export specification; totals for the 300 as a whole vary between sources, so the field is left blank. BMW quotes neither torque nor weight.

13 hpPower

85 km/hTop Speed

1956-1962Year

Gallery

Isetta 300, every angle

Exterior

Own work · Michael Barera · BMW Isetta 300 · 1955 BMW Isetta 300 · 1962 BMW Isetta 300 · 1957 BMW Isetta 300 · BMW Isetta 300 (1956) · BMW Isetta 300 (1957)

Engineering passport

Specifications

Powertrain

Engineering details

Engine0.3 Single-cylinder

Displacement0.3 L

Cylinders1

FuelPetrol

Transmission4-speed Manual

DrivetrainRWD

Performance

Numbers that matter

Power13 hp

Torque18 Nm

Top speed85 km/h

Weight350 kg

BodyMicrocar

STORY

The tiny BMW Isetta is the unlikely car that saved BMW. In the mid-1950s the company was in deep financial trouble, caught between fading motorcycle sales and money-losing luxury cars. Under licence from the Italian firm Iso, BMW re-engineered the egg-shaped "bubble car" around its own motorcycle-derived engine. It was famous for its single front-opening door, which swung out like a refrigerator.

It was cheap, sipped fuel, and arrived exactly when post-war Europe needed affordable mobility. BMW sold tens of thousands in the first year and more than 160,000 in total, and the profits kept the company alive long enough to develop the Neue Klasse that would truly turn its fortunes around. Few cars so humble have ever mattered so much to a great marque's survival.

Source ↗

Price Evolution

Loading auction history…

Track Records

Loading records…