1956 ISO Isetta
Iso Isetta - After having reached a great success in scooter and small motorcycle production, the Milanese manufacturer Iso tried to build an affordable small car that would be a middle ground between a motorcycle and a car.
This interesting vehicle made its debut in 1953: named Isetta (a nickname that means little Iso), the car was designed by Eng. Ermenegildo Preti and Pierluigi Raggi with some ideas inspired from aeronautic technology. The Isetta was really a very innovative car and it was probably the first city car ever to be regularly produced.
The tiny egg-shaped bodywork gave room for two passengers including the driver and the 250 cc motorcycle engine allowed the Isetta to reach a respectable top speed in spite of its small displacement. The Isetta’s most distinctive features were the small rear track width and the single door placed in the front of the car. Maybe it was too much futuristic for its era, so the sales of the Isetta were not what Iso had hoped for.
The Isetta would become a great success only when BMW started to build it under license in Germany
This interesting vehicle made its debut in 1953: named Isetta (a nickname that means little Iso), the car was designed by Eng. Ermenegildo Preti and Pierluigi Raggi with some ideas inspired from aeronautic technology. The Isetta was really a very innovative car and it was probably the first city car ever to be regularly produced.
The tiny egg-shaped bodywork gave room for two passengers including the driver and the 250 cc motorcycle engine allowed the Isetta to reach a respectable top speed in spite of its small displacement. The Isetta’s most distinctive features were the small rear track width and the single door placed in the front of the car. Maybe it was too much futuristic for its era, so the sales of the Isetta were not what Iso had hoped for.
The Isetta would become a great success only when BMW started to build it under license in Germany
