ClassicCar.com

I’ve always been captivated by automotive design.  My head turns just as quickly as I’m driving by a used car lot as it does on a bikini filled beach.  My passion for cars that quicken my pulse is deeply rooted in the fantasy cars of the 1950’s and 1960’s.  Harley Earl’s Buick Y Job was perhaps the beginning of the growth of the automotive design industry.  His full scale operating model drew stares of admiration wherever he drove it, and drive it he did.  It is said that he put over 25,000 miles on the 1938 concept car that featured sleek styling, flush door outside handles and hidden headlights.

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Concept cars of the 1950s and 1960s drew heavily on the jet age styling influences of aircraft design.  The "fin" era of the mid to late 1950s with tons of gaudy chrome and flashy two tone paint schemes with sensational interiors is my favorite period of American automobiles.  These wonderful show cars which never made it into production still greatly influenced the design of the more practical production vehicles.

Here are the next five examples of my favorite American concept cars from the fifties and sixties...those were the days... 

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1957 BMW Isetta 300 Steve Roedel

I have always had a fascination with things that are small.  Not miniatures, but things that are junior in size compared to their larger counterparts.  I prefer small dogs, I have an extensive toy car collection and I own six motorcycles, five of which are less than 125cc and of the two, three and four wheeled varieties.  So as I perused the show field at this past weekend’s HCCP Annual Fall Meet, my eyes were naturally drawn to a pair of tiny BMW’s.  Isetta 300’s, to be precise.

Nestled snugly in their spaces were two 1957 BMW Isetta 300’s, owned by HCCP member Ken Amey of West Deptford, NJ.  If you have ever seen one of these, it’s not a car that you are likely to forget.  The single door and bubble design are unmistakably unique and endearing.  I sauntered over for a closer look at these curious vehicles.  I learned that they were powered by a BMW motorcycle engine displacing about 300 cc’s.  The fuel tank capacity was three gallons.  With an expected 50-65 mpg, I suppose that three gallons is appropriate.
The Isetta began as an Italian design in the early 1950’s, produced by Renzo Rivolta’s Iso company. Introduced at the 1953 Turin Motor Show, the little car turned heads and captured the attention of BMW of Germany.  BMW was struggling to sell cars in the post war era and the little Isetta seemed a perfect fit in tough economic times.

Iso entered seven Isettas in the 1000 mile Mille Miglia race in 1954 and five of the entries finished the race with the lead car averaging 45 miles per hour!  This impressive showing no doubt convinced BMW that this little car could be the answer to their struggling sales and in October of that year, Iso licensed the car to BMW.  Iso also licensed the rights to the car to Isetta Automobiles of Brazil and Velam in France.  BMW bought not just the license, but the complete body tooling as well.
BMW re-engineered most of the car, so much so that none of the parts between an Iso Isetta and a BMW Isetta were interchangeable.  The original BMW Isetta, the 250, retained the bubble window styling and the headlamps were moved to fixed positions on the body.  The car was powered by a modified 250cc four stroke engine from the BMW R25/3 motorcycle.

In October 1956, the Isetta Moto Coupe Deluxe was introduced with sliding side windows.  The engine had been enlarged to 298 cc and the compression ratio was raised from 6.8:1 to 7.0:1. Horsepower now totaled 13 and top speed was about 53 mph.  All of the early cars were equipped with a sliding sunroof, as in the event of a front end collision, the occupants could exit the vehicle through the roof!

BMW began exporting the Isetta to the United States in 1957.  Export models feature the nerf type front bumpers, seven inch headlights and the air vents in the front door.  25,000 Isettas were produced until production was halted in 1962.

Dimensions on the Isetta are 90” in length, 54.5 inches wide and the car has a curb weight of about 700 pounds.  The engine is a single cylinder four stroke with a four speed gearbox and 12 volt electrical system.  It is steel bodied on a steel tube frame with hydraulic brakes, swing arm front suspension and rear leaf suspension.

Have I piqued your interest in microcars?  They are a fascinating breed and you would be amazed at the eclectic varieties that exist.  Please take the time to visit the Microcar Museum and take the virtual tour to see perhaps the most extensive collection of microcars on the planet at Bruce Weiner’s Microcar Museum.  I have also included a video from the Micros in Madison car show on Memorial Day weekend, 2007.
Thanks for stopping by and I’ll see ya down the road…  

Micros in Madison 2007 Car Show

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Past President Bill Kynett's 1932 Chevy and Dave Ceton's 1930 Model A 

As the autumn leaves reach their full brilliance, many of us locals take to the road for a leisurely cruise down less travelled paths, absorbing the rich scenery that Pennsylvania offers.  Could there be anything better than putting the top down on the old classic and enjoying a crisp fall afternoon drive?  Well, yes, I have a suggestion.  One of my “can’t miss” items on the classic car calendar is the annual Fall Meet and Flea Market put on by the Historical Car Club of Pennsylvania.   This year’s event is this Sunday, October 18 from 10:00 to 3:00 at the Delaware County Community College campus, off Route 252 between Media and Newtown Square. The event takes place rain or shine.

HCCP Club President Al Bianchi and his 1967 Pontiac GTO 

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Citroen 2CV

 Ghastly.  Macabre.  Penurious.  Call them what you may, these ugly ducklings of the automotive world are gathered here today to assume the dubious honor of being selected as my top ten worst auto designs.  For this list, I have eliminated the dubious offerings from Detroit and focused on foreign bred donkeys.  Some are boxy, others are sleek yet shabby.  They all make one wonder, “What if”?  As in what if we had to drive one of these or worse yet, be seen in one by someone we know?  Fat chance.  I prefer to drive around in something a little more appealing…         

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