Una bella macchina · 1953–1955
Iso Isetta: history and buying advice
A car with one door, and that door is the whole front. The Isetta came from Italy and became a hit in Germany.
History
Iso of Bresso near Milan first made refrigeration and heating equipment. After the war owner Renzo Rivolta moved into scooters and motorcycles, such as the Isoscooter and the Isomoto. After that he wanted a small, cheap car for many people.
Engineers Ermenegildo Preti and Pierluigi Raggi drew the Isetta around 1952; the name means ‘little Iso’. The whole front opens as a door. The steering wheel and dashboard swing out with it, so getting in is easy.
The first prototypes had one rear wheel and fell over easily. So the Isetta got two rear wheels only 48 cm apart. That way no differential was needed. The engine was a 236 cc two-stroke, derived from the Isomoto engine.
In 1954 Isettas took part in the Mille Miglia and won the economy class. Even so, the car sold poorly in Italy. Italian production stopped around 1955, after about 1000 cars. Rivolta sold licences to BMW in Germany, VELAM in France and Romi in Brazil, among others. BMW built more than 160,000.
With the money from the Isetta, Rivolta later started on expensive sports cars such as the Iso Grifo. Also read Where it all began NL.
Key data
| Engine | 1 cylinder two-stroke (split-single), 236 cc |
|---|---|
| Power | about 9.5 hp |
| Top speed | about 75 km/h |
| Gears | 4 |
| Seats | 2, side by side |
| Tank | 13 litres |
| Number of Isos (Italy) | about 1000 |
| Licences | BMW (Germany), VELAM (France), Romi (Brazil) |
What to check when buying
- A genuine Italian Iso Isetta is rare: only about 1000 were built. Most Isettas you see are BMWs. Have the origin and the numbers checked.
- Check that the front door closes properly and that the hinges and the swinging steering column have no play.
- The two-stroke engine is very special. Parts are hard to find; ask what has already been renewed.
- Old small cars rust. Look under the mats at the floor, along the full length of the sills, in the wheel arches and at the bottom of the doors. If you can already see rust on the outside, there is usually more underneath.
- Compare the chassis number with the papers. For importing from Italy, everything is on our page Buying a motorcycle in Italy NL; for a car the procedure at the RDW (Dutch vehicle authority) is the same.
SourcesWikipedia: Isetta (English)Wikipedia: Iso (English)Louwman Museum: Iso Isetta