4584 TW - A CAR TO FIT MY POCKET

by Jeremy Walton (published in the Isetta Gazette April 1979)

I have been interested in cars for at least ten of my fourteen years and recently my dream of owning one came true. I have been scouring every Exchange & Mart for several years, and have been a regular reader of Thoroughbred & Classic Car for three years. I was pleased to see the letter from the Isetta Owners Club in the April issue of the T&CC, and the first line, "That now uncommon but quaint device, the Isetta...." was very good.

A few years ago I went to investigate a Heinkel/Trojan which was for sale for £50. The engine was in pieces though, and the floor so badly rusted that my father accidentally poked his finger through it. Unable to sell it, the owner took it to the scrapyard.

Bubblecars have always fascinated me, so when I found the address of Mike Kensdale, I wrote to him asking where I could find one for sale. His advice was to look in Exchange & Mart, but to answer adverts quickly because bubble cars are sought by many. It was, in fact, the very next Echange & Mart from which I bought 4584 TW.

I bought the E&M on the 25th January, and, as soon as I got home from school, I phoned about the advert which read,

"Isetta 1960, LHD, Runs well, workshop manual, spares. Sensible offer accepted. Bognor."

I asked the basic details of the car, and arranged to go down to Bognor to see it on the saturday, by courtesy of Dad. I didn't get any sleep that Friday night, and at 6:30am I woke up Dad. After telephoning Bognor to see if the car was still there and that everything was alright, we set out on the eighty mile journey from Ruislip at 7:30am.

After opening up the garage we wheeled the Isetta out. It was much smaller than I expected, but was also in better condition. The tyres were good, all the lights worked, and it was very solid. Unfortunately, the battery was flat and we had to 'bump-start' the engine. Oh dear. The throttle cable snapped, due to freezing up and becoming very brittle, so we could not have a test (flight?) run, but it did tick over nicely. I decided to have it, and so £70 later 4584 TW was mine. Problem number one. How to get 'my-setta' home. We left the car there and went home leaving the transport problem to the next week-end.

Dad and I phoned some Rover fanatic friends who own a horse box used, incidentally, for transporting pianolas. After measuring up, they thought that the Isetta would just fit it, with the aid of a shoe horn. So, the following Saturday we headed out in the direction of Ilford in our Rover 100. With no success in waking our friends by hammering on the front door, we phoned them from the phone box at the side of the house. We were going to use their Rover 3 litre to tow with, and so after hitching up, my brother, father, and I headed south towards Bognor.

The journey went well, and pushing the Isetta into the horsebox was easy, despite the fact that we had no more than half an inch to spare all round. After tying the Isetta down we returned to Ruislip.

My first job on the Isetta was to stop the rot, which I duly did. There was a dent in the door, but it presented little difficulty for, after removing the door trim panel, a slight push with the thumbs put the door back into shape. The car had been involved in an accident at some time, and the front left wing had suffered, but my first attempt at fibre glassing rectified this. I have also removed the engine to investigate the clutch slip which became apparent, and found that the rivets of the clutch plate had badly scored the surrounding metal plates. Sometime in the future I shall repain the car as it is slightly patchy.

I have two and a half years to wait before I can legally drive the Isetta, and so in this time I hope to get the car in good condition and MOT'd, so it is an interesting longterm project for me. I hope to have the car 'legal' before long so that my dather can drive it to club meetings.

At last, I have found 'a car to fit my pocket.'