So which side of the fence do you sit on? Do you pronounce it “Ee-zetta” or “Aye-zetta”? The thing is there are two variants of the BMW Isetta: the three-wheeler, which was sold (and assembled) in the UK, and the Bavarian-built four-wheeler. So there’s not one fence to sit on, there are two. The three-wheeler can use the English pronunciation – Aye-zetta. What we have here though is the Ee-zetta. Four wheels, two headlights, one door and a lot of innovation.
We’ve already seen the Isetta on CC though, so let’s keep this post short and (hopefully) bubbly. Sometimes, I see people driving things that just make no sense. Hummer H1s. Lifted Toyota Tundras. Just about all Lamborghinis. You know, things that literally can’t fit on most streets here.
But the Isetta, no matter the wheel count, has to be one of the most Tokyo imported cars ever. It can out-kei the smallest kei.
Is this the smallest rear axle used in a regular production automobile? We’re talking 52cm (20.4 in.) of track back there. Enough room to attach two leaf springs and the chain drive, but only just.
And that’s just one of the many extreme measurements boasted by this most unconventional BMW. We might as well just display the whole lot (in units many of you will find easier to relate to). Looks like they want you to pronounce it Aye-zetta, though. Hmm…
Here’s one data point that the brochure page did not cover: with over 160k units made, counting all variants (250 and 300cc, three- and four-wheeler, “cabriolet,” “coupé” and pickup, etc.), the BMW Isetta is the top-selling single-cylinder car in history by a mile.
Nice to see a Tokyo classic that hasn’t had an aftermarket A/C added to it, for once. Refreshing, almost. More cars should have a door on the front end.
And by the way, that was my theme for the week: rear-engine cars in decreasing order of displacement and/or number of cylinders. It could also have been called the “Week of Single-Digit Amounts of Comments on Every Post,” but I’ll reserve that for my planned pre-war extravaganza.
In the meantime, let’s celebrate our lilliputian friend here. It might have been a bit embarrassing –and it certainly was both underwhelming and under license – but it was the most iconic car BMW produced in the ‘50s. Yes, yes, the 507 was beautiful, but nobody bought one. On the other hand, 160k Ee-zetta buyers can’t all be wrong.
Related posts:
Curbside Classic: 1961 BMW Isetta 300 – BMW Lays An Egg, by T87
Vintage Ad: 1957 BMW Isetta 300 – “The Hottest Profit Item Since Henry F. Backed The Model T”, by PN
I sent this to a fellow I correspond with in the UK who has one. I’m sure he will find this very interesting, and….a nice looking lil car…..literally! 🙂 DFO
Excellent post, many thanks! Never heard the name pronounced Ee-zetta, but now I come to think of it, since there were connections with the Iso company (which I’ve always heard pronounced Ee-so), Ee-zetta makes sense!
For me, it’s the opposite. In German, “I” is pronounced “Ee”, so that’s all I’ve ever called it and of course that’s how all Germans pronounced it. For that matter, I’d quite forgotten (or not noticed) that their US market ads had that pronunciation prompt on them. I guess they wanted to make it Eesy for Americans. In any case, it does not have anything to do with BMW buying a license from Iso.
Cute, but enough of those silly “roundels” all over the place! A bad habit that persists to this day.
Single-digit comments this whole week, really? We need to do something about that!
I always enjoy your write-ups btw, but I rarely comment – usually they’re just excellent and I feel there’s not much I could add to what you’ve already said.
Although your Isetta post is just a short one, I did learn something new from it – I didn’t know about this being the bestselling single cylinder car of all times. It makes me wonder how many of these did Iso build? Probably just a few thousand? Fiat 600 must have wiped it away in Italy after 1955, that’s probably why they passed it over to BMW. Iso also built an Isetta truck, the Autocarro which remained in production for a few years longer – there must have still been a market niche for the commercial version.
I guess it doesn’t happen very often that a licence-built copy proves to be so much more popular than the original version.
Keep up the good work, T87!
The bubble car/micro car phenomena didn’t ever take off in Italy. Italy’s economic development and income levels just didn’t allow the average worker to afford one in the ’50s. A Vespa, perhaps, but not a four wheeler. But Germany’s explosive economy at the time did very much make it feasible for an average worker to afford such a thing, and these and the numerous other micro cars really put Germany on wheels. It’s important to remember that the VW was not affordable to a typical worker in the ’50s; that only happened in the ’60s.
The best-selling single-cylinder car ever? So it outsold the King Midget? 🙂
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Midget
Most people in the UK pronounce it eye-setta with an ‘s’ rather than a ‘z’.
Afternoon all, this is as good an opportunity as any for a first comment. I would pronounce the name ee seTTa with the emphasis on the ts.
On a different note I discovered the site earlier this year while tackling a serious health issue which thankfully I seem to be coming out of the tail end of. I’m looking at a couple of COALs potentially from the perspective of sunny Cornwall, England. In the meantime I’d like to thank all of you, posters and commenters for helping keeping me entertained and distracted through a tricky time.
Have a good weekend everyone, Ed
I’ve enjoyed this week’s theme, more than a little.
Great Isetta. There are many things to recommend these vehicles, but perhaps the best is that I don’t think it’s possible to meet one and not walk away with a smile upon one’s face. Every vehicle could learn from that.
I have to imagine that Japan is probably the best place to find one on the road. Most that I’ve seen over here have arrived at their current destination on a trailer (or inside a van) as driving them on the road wouldn’t be prudent.
Oh, and I’ve only heard the name pronounced “Ee-zetta”.