How The Isetta Saved BMW From Bankruptcy

Iso Rivolta not only made refrigerators but mini cars as well. It had a three-wheeled model on display called the “Iso Isetta,” with a massive swinging door in the front that looked like a refrigerator door. Executives from BMW not only purchased the licensing rights for the Isetta but the production equipment as well. It began making the car immediately, with the first BWM Isetta 250s rolling off the production floor in April 1955, only a year after the auto show.

Until then, BWM was known for its luxury performance cars, but this was a vastly different type of vehicle altogether. The first models came with a modified 250 cc four-stroke engine pulled from its R25 motorcycle. That single cylinder was only capable of generating a mere 12 horsepower. While the German company kept the original Italian name, it added a fourth tire to its version, with the rear wheels only set 19 inches apart. This “microcar” was only 4.5 feet wide and 7.5 feet long, with a single door at the front for its two occupants — and only two occupants — to enter. The car was so small that people only needed a motorcycle license to drive it around.

BMW sold 10,000 cars in the first year of production and it became the very thing the company needed to stave off financial ruin. A total of 161,728 Isettas were sold during its 8-year run, making it the top-selling single-cylinder car in the world.