Vehicle Description
West Coast Classics are proud to present an exceptionally rare
barn-fresh (garage really!) find of an all original southern
California 1957 BMW Isetta 300 Coupe with it's original 297cc 13HP
1 cylinder engine with 6,266 original miles, boasting its original
California 'Yellow License Plates' with original selling dealer,
'Truschel Brothers' of Culver City, CA license plate frames,
original factory paint and interior and with only one southern
California family owner since new and still titled in its original
owner's name with it's original California 'Pink Slip' from
10/4/1957!This is a rare all stock and all original example which
has not been registered, driven or moved since 1959 when at 2 years
old it was parked by it's original and only owner in their garage
in southern Califiornia and not moved until it was to be sold by
the daughters of the estate to us last month! We have a video of
the car sitting in the garage prior to our towing it to our
facility on our website. The car is all original with it's all
original paint and interior, original 12V 'Varta' battery, original
'Al Davis' AM radio, original spare wheel and tools. Please note
that the engine turns by hand but the car will be sold as is, just
as we found it, without so much as a wash in order to preserve its
rare integrity for it's next owner. The car has been sitting
covered in it's original owner's garage since 1959.The body has no
rust and the floor boards and trunk area are also completely
original, solid and rust free with only the original muffler
showing any signs of rust. Please note that the car does have some
parking dents in it's bumpers and some minor very paint chips or
scratches as can be seen in the pictures, from its many years of
being maneuvered around by its family owners, in a packed garage
whilst in storage over the years, but these are very minor and only
on the passenger side where the car was parked nearest passing
people. The car has it's completely original interior and paint
which has been remarkably well preserved.The egg-shaped Isetta
caused a sensation when it was introduced to the motoring press in
Turin, Italy in November 1953 as it was unlike anything seen before
and is today generally considered to be the best microcar ever,
certainly its the archetypal 'bubble car' and is today recognized
and loved worldwide by both classic car collectors and microcar
enthusiasts. Its totally unconventional design caused a furor at
its introduction in Turin and from this influential debut grew a
number of licensed branches worldwide with the most well know being
obviously BMW in Germany where it became the obvious go to car of
the working man and by November 1955, ten thousand had been
built.Small at only 7.5 ft long by 4.5 ft wide and egg-shaped, with
bubble-type windows, it was seen by BMW as filling a gap between
their motorcycle range and the luxury 501 models and the entire
front end of the car hinged outwards to allow entry. In the event
of a crash, the driver and passenger were to exit through the
canvas sunroof. The steering wheel and instrument panel swung out
with the single door, as this made access to the single bench seat
simpler. The seat provided reasonable comfort for two occupants and
a small child. Behind the seat was a large parcel shelf with a
spare wheel located below. A heater was optional, and ventilation
was provided by opening the fabric sunroof.Initially power came
from a 236 cc (14.4 cu in), 7.1 kW (9.5 hp) 2 stroke motorcycle
engine and a manual gearbox provided four forward speeds and
reverse. A chain drive connected the gearbox to a solid rear axle
with a pair of closely spaced 25 cm (10 in) rear wheels. The first
prototypes had one wheel at the rear, but having a single rear
wheel made the car prone to roll-overs so the rear wheel layout was
changed to two wheels set 48 cm (19 in) apart from each other. This
narrow track eliminated the need for a differential. The Isetta
took over 30 seconds to reach 50 km/h (31 mph) from rest. Top speed
was only about 75 km/h (47 mph). The fuel tank held only 13 litres
(3.4 US gal; 2.9 imp gal).In 1956, the government of the Federal
Republic of Germany changed the regulations for motor vehicles.
Class IV licences issued from that time onward could only be used
to operate small motorcycles and could no longer be used to operate
motor vehicles with a capacity of less than 250 cc. At the same
time, the maximum capacity allowed for the Isetta's tax category
was 300 cc. This change in regulations encouraged BMW to revise
their Isetta micro cars. In February 1956 a 300cc engine was
introduced. The engineers enlarged the single cylinder engine to a
72 mm (2.8 in) bore and 73 mm (2.9 in) stroke which gave a
displacement of exactly 298 cc; at the same time, they raised the
compression ratio from 6.8 to 7.0:1. As a result, the engine power
output rose to 10 kW (13 hp) at 5200 rpm, and the torque rose to
18.4 N #8901;m (13.6 ft #8901;lbf) at 4600 rpm. The maximum speed
remained at 85 km/h (53 mph), yet there was a marked increase in
flexibility, chiefly noticeable on gradients and in October 1956,
the Isetta Moto Coupe DeLuxe (sliding-window Isetta) was
introduced. The bubble windows were replaced by longer, sliding
side windows. This is a rare opportunity to own a very rare and
internationally desirable all original 1957 legendary BMW Isetta
300 Coupe preserved in a southern California garage since 1959 with
only 6,266 original miles and only one southern California owner
since new!