Isetta plus caravan

Mar 1, 2020
57
22
1,585
Visit site
Love the colour co-ordination. Isetta looks to be the 4 wheel version and the van would be very cosy to say the least. No need for an expensive motor mover. I had the 3 wheeler many years ago. Got a motorbike aged 16 and passed my test. I discovered a few months later that 2 wheels isn't great when the weather turns bad so sold it and bought a hand painted bright orange Isetta and loved it. Regularly drove 20 miles to school with a friend sitting on the parcel shelf over the engine with his head out the sunshine roof. It was my first BMW. It was at it's most interesting when it snowed. Cars create 2 tracks and there is a ridge of snow between exactly where the rear wheel of the Isetta sits and it's rear wheel drive!
 

Attachments

  • Isetta.jpg
    Isetta.jpg
    33 KB · Views: 15
Jan 3, 2012
9,574
2,051
30,935
Visit site
Love the colour co-ordination. Isetta looks to be the 4 wheel version and the van would be very cosy to say the least. No need for an expensive motor mover. I had the 3 wheeler many years ago. Got a motorbike aged 16 and passed my test. I discovered a few months later that 2 wheels isn't great when the weather turns bad so sold it and bought a hand painted bright orange Isetta and loved it. Regularly drove 20 miles to school with a friend sitting on the parcel shelf over the engine with his head out the sunshine roof. It was my first BMW. It was at it's most interesting when it snowed. Cars create 2 tracks and there is a ridge of snow between exactly where the rear wheel of the Isetta sits and it's rear wheel drive!
Looks nice setup
 
Sep 26, 2018
620
180
10,935
Visit site
The Isetta was "half" a BMW flat twin 650, so 325 cc... Mates had them, I stuck to bikes! The Messerschmitt was 2 stroke,and reverse was obtained by stopping the engine and re-starting backwards, so 4 speed as fast ass forwards!
 
Jul 18, 2017
11,951
3,329
32,935
Visit site
The Isetta was "half" a BMW flat twin 650, so 325 cc... Mates had them, I stuck to bikes! The Messerschmitt was 2 stroke,and reverse was obtained by stopping the engine and re-starting backwards, so 4 speed as fast ass forwards!
Thanks for that as I remember seeing them being pushed backwards so thought they never had any form of mechanically driven reverse.
 
Last edited:
Nov 11, 2009
20,112
6,136
50,935
Visit site
The Isetta was "half" a BMW flat twin 650, so 325 cc... Mates had them, I stuck to bikes! The Messerschmitt was 2 stroke,and reverse was obtained by stopping the engine and re-starting backwards, so 4 speed as fast ass forwards!
Some Bonds had no reverse gear either.
 
Jul 18, 2017
11,951
3,329
32,935
Visit site
Three wheeler single wheel at front and a Villers two stroke up front. A two seater. There was a later Bond called the Bug, which was quite futuristic but I believe by then Bond had been subsumed into Reliant.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bond_Minicar
I thought I was reasonably familar with many cars from that era so thanks for the heads up. I do remember the Villiers motorcycles as my friend had one and if I am remembering correctly it had pedals?

BTW didn't these various 3 wheel cars come about because of the Suez crisis in the early fifties?
 
Nov 11, 2009
20,112
6,136
50,935
Visit site
I thought I was reasonably familar with many cars from that era so thanks for the heads up. I do remember the Villiers motorcycles as my friend had one and if I am remembering correctly it had pedals?

BTW didn't these various 3 wheel cars come about because of the Suez crisis in the early fifties?
No, they came about because after the war cars were in very short supply and inordinately expensive. Even pre war used cars were often out of reach of ordinary working folks. The BondS were an attempt to give people low cost mobility using materials that did not require importing. By Suez cars were becoming more available and affordable. In the early 1950s my father paid £400 for a 1938 Ford 10 and he could only afford to run it at weekends or for holidays. Then it was regular fir him to remove the ignition bits to dry through at home in the oven. Changing big ends was a regular routine. His main mode of transport were Shankies or his bike with a Cyclemaster engine. How he would have loved an EV and no criticism of lack of charging points despite living in a pedestrian avenue 200 yds from the nearest road.
 
Last edited:
Jul 18, 2017
11,951
3,329
32,935
Visit site
No, they came about because after the war cars were rationed and inordinately expensive. Even pre war used cars were often out of reach of ordinary working folks. The BondS were an attempt to give people low cost mobility using materials that did not require importing. By Suez cars were becoming more available and affordable. In the early 1950s my father paid £400 fir a 1938 Ford 10 and he could only afford to run it at weekends or for holidays. His main mode of transport were Shankies or his bike with a Cyclemaster engine. How he would have loved an EV and no criticism of lack of charging points despite living in a pedestrian avenue 200 yds from the nearest road.
Interesting reading the wiki article on the Bond reference taxation. No wonder the Mini came about in 1959. Can you remember the cost of the Mini way back in 1959 as I seem to recall it was about £200 in the sixties, but they were manufactured in South Africa so no heavy taxation. In the sixties £200 was a lot of money and an annual salary for many people.
 
Nov 11, 2009
20,112
6,136
50,935
Visit site
Interesting reading the wiki article on the Bond reference taxation. No wonder the Mini came about in 1959. Can you remember the cost of the Mini way back in 1959 as I seem to recall it was about £200 in the sixties, but they were manufactured in South Africa so no heavy taxation. In the sixties £200 was a lot of money and an annual salary for many people.
Cannot recall the mini cost but my dads old Ford 10 cost him £400 which was probably one years wages even as a skilled bookbinder. That was before the mini came out, probably around 1952 ish.
 
Last edited:
Jul 18, 2017
11,951
3,329
32,935
Visit site
This table shows a range of well-known cars and their prices in 1965.
CostIn today's money
Austin/Morris Mini£470£6,400
Reliant 3 Wheeler£487£6,700
Ford Anglia£492£6,700
Hillman Imp£509£7,000
Vauxhall Viva£538£7,400
MG Midget£624£8,500
Austin 1100£644£8,800
Volkswagen Beetle£650£8,100
Triumph Spitfire£666£9,100
Ford Cortina (four door)£668£9,100
Hillman Minx£680£9,300
Vauxhall Victor 101£690£9,400
Morris Oxford£782£10,700
Austin 1800£833£11,400
MGB£855£11,700
Ford Zephyr 6£900£12,300
Triumph TR4A£968£13,200
Vauxhall Cresta£974£13,000
Austin Westminster£998£13,700
Humber Hawk£1,095£15,000
Austin-Healey 3000£1,107£15,000
Rover 2000£1,298£18,000
Jaguar MkII 2.4 litre£1,389£19,000
Jaguar E-Type£1,867£25,000
Aston Martin DB5£4,412£60,000
 
Mar 1, 2020
57
22
1,585
Visit site
The Isetta had reverse gear. As far as I recall it had 4 forward gears and one reverse but changing gear was a bit of a lottery until you got used to it. The Messerschmitt was very antisocial as the passenger sat behind the driver: not at all beneficial when the passenger was a lady friend!
 
Nov 6, 2005
7,341
2,046
25,935
Visit site
Thanks for that as I remember seeing them being pushed backwards so thought they never had any form of mechanically driven reverse.
Some didn't have any form of reverse - one or two unsuspecting owners manoeuvred too close to a wall and became trapped as they couldn't get of the front door to push it backwards!
 
Nov 11, 2009
20,112
6,136
50,935
Visit site
Some didn't have any form of reverse - one or two unsuspecting owners manoeuvred too close to a wall and became trapped as they couldn't get of the front door to push it backwards!
Later models had the Dynastart unit which was the starter motor switched to rotate backwards. It would reverse on battery power and the engine would go backwards too. A sort of hybrid EV!!!
 
Sep 23, 2023
262
72
235
Visit site
I am not familiar with the "Bond"? Was it a similar type of vehicle?
Villiers 9e fitted with 2 sets of ignition points 1 btdc and after tdc..a siba dynastart unit was fitted that either turned engine forward or backward and used corresponding points (it blew the piston in opposite direction for reverse .. usual way was to lift up bonnet kick start it rev it and jump in before it died ah welll
 
  • Like
Reactions: Hutch

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts