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1959 BMW Isetta 300 3-wheel “special”

When casually looking at the average BMW Isetta, it would appear to have only a single wheel at the rear, but in fact there were Two wheels at the rear in the standard configuration, they were just spaced closer together due to the lack of a differential.

Once the BMW Isetta began to be sold to markets outside Germany, tax and licensing laws in different countries sometimes made a 3-wheel vehicle more attractive to a buyer due to lower fees and so BMW made the “Three Wheel Special” available directly from BMW to markets that were not served by Isetta of Great Britain.

Variations of this were sometimes altered slightly to suit certain markets such as Switzerland, where a PAIR of wheels were stuck next to each other, but attached to the 3-wheel assembley. This allowed for better stability and traction, but still allowed the car to be classified as a “3 wheeled vehicle”.

Manufacturer: Bayerische Motoren Werke, Munich, Germany

Model: Isetta 300 Export
Dreirad Special
Motor: BMW 4-stroke Body : Steel
Years Built: 1959 - 1962 No. Cylinders: 1 Chassis: Steel Tube
No. Produced: n/a Displacement: 295 cc Suspension Front: Swing Arm
No. Surviving: n/a Horsepower: 13 Susp Rear: Leaf
Length: 90" Gearbox: 4 + rev Steering: Worm
Width: 54.5" Starter: Dynastart Brakes: Hydraulic
Weight: 700 lbs Electrics: 12 v 3 Wheels: 4.80 x 10”
Interior: Bench Ignition: Coil Top Speed: 85 km/h

© 2007