BMW Isetta Police Car

[Selden]

I spotted a picture of one of these in the weekend WSJ. Probably capable of running down a speeding moped, or the frau in the polka dot dress, but not much more. Note the blue light on the roof.

 

 

Useless trivia #1: The wrassler Haystack Calhoun drove an Isetta. Since the entire front end of the car opened, it was one of the few cars into which he could fit his 600 pound body.

 

Less useless (?) trivia #2: If you're ever passing through Nashville, check out the Lane Motor Museum. They have some very "interesting" vehicles, including a 4wd Citroen rally car, with an extra engine in the back to power the rear wheels, as well as the largest collection of Tatras (22) in North America.

 

[Alfred02]

When I was doing my apprenticeship in Germany, one of the other guys actually had one of these.

Our favorite trick was to carry it with 6 guys onto the footpath and put it parallel with other vehicles (on the wrong side) and a light pole.

It got old after the 2nd time as we got told if we would do it again...don't bother to come back.

Bit hard to explain to my bosses (even if they were my parents), why I would have gotten kicked out of the apprentice training center.

[kmac]

I love Isettas. My Uncle had one when I was a kid and I used to laugh at it...now I would kill for one.

 

I get that ALOT when I drive my Studebaker truck...people always say "my dad had one, I love those" or something like that.

[upflying]

The modern Isetta is the Smart. A few PD's use them for patrol..

More micro-cars at this museum.

http://microcarmuseum.com/

ooops, looks like they are closed and selling the cars at auction.

[roadscholar]

Our favorite trick was to carry it with 6 guys onto the footpath and put it parallel with other vehicles (on the wrong side) and a light pole.

 

Here ya go. Parking a microcar

 

There'll be a bunch of 'em for sale this coming weekend, may have to head up there and check out the circus. Been wanting to see this place for years, I guess it's now or never.

 

http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2012/09/12/worlds-largest-microcar-museum-to-close-head-to-auction/

 

Edit: ditto

 

 

 

 

[Gregori]

I was in Germany in the mid 80's, and passed up an opportunity to buy an Isetta. (Been kicking myself since.)

I tried to get the funds together to buy a Messerschmidt, but someone beat me to it.

The microcars that I HAVE owned are a Honda 600, and a Suzuki LJ20.

(The LJ20 was a hoot, although too slow to drive safely on public roads...)

[upflying]

I'd like to add a Subaru 360 in my garage.

I was in Oakland during the late '60's and I recall a local dealer was selling them. All one color, light gray.

Trouble was no one bought them, too small and under powered for America..not to mention a two stroke engine.

After a few years all the unsold Subaru's were loaded onto a ship at the Port of Oakland. The ship headed out to sea and all of the cars were pushed off the deck.

 

[roadscholar]

I came pretty close to buying a BMW 600 in the late 80's, nicely restored in blue and white, been kicking myself over that one too. It's probably in that collection their selling off. A buddy took me for a scary ride in the backseat of his Messerschmidt once, we were up on two wheels a few times, or was that three?

 

Edit> I'm not exaggerating.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InlFaERcPeA

 

 

[kmac]

That video of the Messer is AWESOME. Even my wife thought that was funny and she couldn't usually care less about my car and MC stories and videos.

[roadscholar]

 

Anyone care to identify the brown car and the blue one, I think I know what they are. One came to America and luckily one didn't.

[upflying]

The brown one looks like a Fiat 128 or a Russian copy of one.

The blue one resembles a DKW but I'm not sure.

Paul Mihalka would know for sure.

[Rocer]

 

Anyone care to identify the brown car and the blue one, I think I know what they are. One came to America and luckily one didn't.

 

I'm pretty sure the brown car is an early version of the Fiat 128. The later versions had a wider rear roof post. Not sure about the blue one.

[roadscholar]

I think you guys are right on the Fiat, I on the other hand biffed it (and missed the edit window by 5 minutes) thinking it was an NSU Prinz then remembered there was a grill.

 

Pretty sure the other one is a Trabant though, and is that a tiny gas tank underneath, possibly to discourage an escape attempt?

 

Another beast. http://500px.com/photo/5833511

 

 

 

 

 

[CVA-42]

Very sorry to see the Bruce Weiner Museum closing down. We made it a destination for a couple of the Fall vintage rides out of Blue Moon BMW. At one time, they did have an Isetta Polizei model with single cylinder engine. Probably a variation of the 250 they used in the R25, R26, and R27 but it was actually enlarged to 350 cc in the police car, I think. The car had all the accoutrements of a "regular" police car (lights, siren, etc.) but in miniature. I've been to the museum twice in the past three months. Absolutely fascinating place for a gearhead and admirer of clever design and a tribute to the response to fuel shortages in post-war Europe and Japan.

[Paul Mihalka]

The brown one looks like a Fiat 124. The blue might be a Goggomobil.

[upflying]

I think you guys are right on the Fiat, I on the other hand biffed it (and missed the edit window by 5 minutes) thinking it was an NSU Prinz then remembered there was a grill.

 

Pretty sure the other one is a Trabant though, and is that a tiny gas tank underneath, possibly to discourage an escape attempt?

 

Another beast. http://500px.com/photo/5833511

 

 

 

 

The blue car is not a Trabant.

[upflying]

BTW, the blue car is a Daf. Most likely a Daf 55 not the 44 I posted.

[roadscholar]

Good find on the DAF, that hoodline is fairly unique. I guessed Trabant since alot of them were a similar color blue, probably shoulda checked.

 

You may find this interesting, well the music is nice anyway.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBsPFI--muo

 

 

 

[Bill_Walker]

I'd like to add a Subaru 360 in my garage.

I was in Oakland during the late '60's and I recall a local dealer was selling them. All one color, light gray.

Trouble was no one bought them, too small and under powered for America..not to mention a two stroke engine.

After a few years all the unsold Subaru's were loaded onto a ship at the Port of Oakland. The ship headed out to sea and all of the cars were pushed off the deck.

 

I remember there was a parking lot full of them at the east end of the Marina in San Francisco. I seem to recall that they were there for a very long time.

[Bill_Walker]

They have some very "interesting" vehicles, including a 4wd Citroen rally car, with an extra engine in the back to power the rear wheels, as well as the largest collection of Tatras (22) in North America.

 

I would have thought that (2) would have been the largest collection of Tatras in North America!

[Bill_Walker]

Edit> I'm not exaggerating.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InlFaERcPeA

 

 

"Ramp? We don' need no steenkin' ramp..."

[bart_vanreeth]

Blue car is indeed a DAF 55 marathon. It's a dutch car. My mother had one in the early 70's. The DAF's didn't have a gearbox but had a variomatic transmition (nowadays Toyota uses this technology in the toyota Prius). Funny thing about these cars was that the topspeed in reverse was the same as in forward. In Holland there were car races on circuit where they drove those cars in reverse. Although it's a collectors item now in the 60's and 70's it was known as a car for "old people" or for people who had problems driving cars with manual shifting. It was very uncool to drive one... In the 80's DAF got in financial problems and VOLVO took over the company. But after some years they stopped making them. DAF makes good trucks though.

[roadscholar]

Crazy Europeans, racing backwards!!

 

Found this last week checking out DAF's, thought it was interesting.

 

 

Edit> Here's something that really is interesting, identify these beauties (w/o looking it up).

 

.... 12 min.

[Paul Mihalka]

My first encounter with a CVT was around 195x with the DKW Hobby scooter. 75cc, variable belt transmission. Also manufactured by French Manurhin under BMW license. My then girlfriend, later wife, had one.

 

http://www.audi.in/sea/brand/in/company/audi_history/Evolution_of_the_models/1945-1965/dkw_motorcycle/dkw_hobby_roller.html

[upflying]

I think I had a CVT of sorts in a Motobecane moped I had in the late 60's.

It also had a friction drive on the rear wheel.