1954 Iso Isetta: a 330kg Microcar w/ a 236cc split-single engine that raced in the Mille Miglia!

After having published legendary rally cars, old F1s racing in Monza and American cars with 7-liter engines in the previous days, today I show you something totally different, something that cannot fail to print a smile on the face of a true car enthusiast. Here's the Iso Isetta, which I recorded during the 2021 Vernasca Silver Flag.

This is the first Italian microcar produced in Bresso (near Milan) by Iso Automobili between 1953 and 1956. It was also the first car built by the brand, consisting in a bizarre yet innovative two-seater car with an ultra-compact size, equipped with a motorcycle engine and rear-wheel drive.
Before continuing, let's clarify one thing immediately: this is not a copy of the more famous BMW 250/300 'Isetta'. This is the actual original project that was later sold to BMW by Iso Automobili and which later became a global success.

In 1939 Renzo Rivolta founded Iso, a company based in Bolzaneto (near Genoa), specialized in refrigeration systems. In 1943 Iso moved to Bresso, near Milan, where it added the production of household appliances to its previous activity. However after the Second World War Renzo Rivolta realized that one of the greatest needs and priorities of the Italian population was to be able to move with cheap vehicles. He therefore decided to convert the production of household appliances to that of motorcycles but after small successes, Renzo Rivolta understood it was time to move on to car production. In his mind there was a vehicle halfway between a motorcycle and a Fiat Topolino, a car that was very cheap at those times but still inaccessible for most of the Italian population full of difficulties after the Second World War. In 1951, Rivolta commissioned two young aeronautical engineers, Ermenegildo Preti and Pierluigi Raggi, to design a small car that could use one of the motorcycle engines that the company already manufactured.

The result, the Iso Isetta, was unveiled at the Turin Motor Show in 1953. Its design has been studied to maximize living space and ensure large windows. Power came from a 236cc (14.4 cu in), 9.5 hp split-single two-stroke motorcycle engine, where two cylinders share a single combustion chamber. Top speed was of only 75 km/h (47 mph) but it could count on low consumption. Its only bitter enemies were steep climbs. The Isetta was equipped with a single front door, hinged laterally, through which passengers entered the car. The steering column was also hinged and connected to the door for easier access, while the rear, in addition to the engine, was completed by a very small luggage compartment.

The Isetta weighed just 330kg and, as for the Fiat Topolino and the Fiat 500, the roof was made of canvas and could be opened, a quite requested feature by Italians of the time. Another peculiar feature was the different track of the wheels, with the rear wheels very close with each other, something reminiscent of the first prototype which only had three wheels but which proved unsafe. A grille on the right side allowed the air-cooled engine to be ventilated.

Despite the innovative solutions and excellent technical characteristics the Isetta wasn't very successful. In order to demonstrate its dynamic qualities and stimulate sales, the car was entered in some editions of the Mille Miglia, where it obtained excellent results in the Index of Performance / Thermal Efficiency classification. The reliability of the small Isetta was underlined by the arrival at the finish line of five out of seven cars in the 1954 edition. But despite this the Isetta continued to struggle and just over a thousand cars in basic configuration were sold.

So Renzo Rivolta started to be interested in doing licensing deals. At the same time BMW was trying to introduce new models without being able to afford large investments and they wanted to list a small and low consumption city car. Talkings with Rivolta began in mid-1954 and later they bought not just a license but the complete Isetta body tooling as well. The Isetta was also built under license in a number of other different countries, including Argentina, Spain, Belgium, France, Brazil and the United Kingdom.

#IsoIsetta #Isetta #Microcar

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Camcorder: Canon Legria HF GX10 & G30 + Canon DM-100 Microphone, Sony AX-53 + Audio Technica Microphone
Event: Vernasca Silver Flag 2021
Where: Castell'Arquato - Lugagnano - Vernasca, Italy

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