ONE THOUSAND MILES IN A BMW ISETTA 600

by Tony Marshall (published in the Isetta Gazette June-July 1979)

Although we had been planning to go to Germany for the fifth Kleinwagen Treffen at the end of May for some months, Malcolm Thomas and I did not know just how much midnight oil was going to be burnt to ensure that we got there and back without any trouble. In fact, it was Malcolm who did all the work, I having resigned myself to either not going at all, or taking another car.

The story started quite early this year, when we decided that this year we really would make the effort to go over and see the Automuseum Story, itself a fascinating place with a large number of micro-cars, but all the more interesting with all the visiting cars there for the rally. We didn't know which vehicle to take, but wanted something big enough to take all our camping gear, food for a week, clothes and general luggage, together with an assortment of tools and some bits and pieces for sale to enthusiasts over there. That lot ruled out most of our cars which would have been too small. We did consider taking Malcolm's Cortina, or my Austin, but that didn't seem the thing to do, so it was a toss up between the Autobianchi Giardiniere, the Vespa 400, or the BMW 600. The Autobianchi would have been ideal, but we thought it was too ordinary. The Vespa is an interesting car, but impossible to obtain spares for, and, anyway, we had already taken it over to Holland a couple of years previously. The choice of vehicle then became obvious.

We knew that the 600 was a runner, although we had not used it on the road. The only worrying thing was the very bad vibration from the engine, which appeared as a banging sound at certain engine speeds. Anyway, we thought this was probably due to an exhaust system fault and ordered a new system (Don't worry, we had the old parts repaired to use as spares!). Malcolm then set about overhauling the brakes. Most of the brake cylinders were partly, or in some cases completely, seized, so there was a lot of work to be done. New brake linings were fitted to the rear wheels, and some old ones that we had lifted off of a broken Isetta 250 chassis were used on the front. All of the brake parts are of ATE make, and harder to find in this country than the usual Girling parts. Eventually, the brakes were satisfactory. Then came the steering. Malcolm fitted some new bushes, and the upper part of the steering column from a wrecked 600 found in the South Downs. This proved quicker than repairing our own worn unit. This done, Malcolm stripped the top end (or is it 'ends'?). Valve springs were replaced, and the whole lot checked over. The engine was re-assembled, the new exhaust fitted, and put back in the car.

The first run out proved that the vibration was still there.

After much thought and discussion, Malcolm realised that there should be a fly wheel damper on the 600 engine, and that we didn't have one on ours. He tried to get one. No luck. Not anywhere. Could he make one? Not in the time available. Eventually we scrounged one from Mike Kensdale who is rebuilding his own 600. We only had it on loan though, and had to be returned when Mike puts his car together again. The damper was fitted and seemed to make a difference, so Malcolm set off for the MOT station. Part way there he found the vibration was back. He fiddled about and managed to get the car a bit further. Then the clutch became impossible to use. Back under the car again, he spent some time trying to adjust it. At last he got the car to the garage and persuaded them to test it. It passed! But, of course, we still had troubles. Back at home, the engine came out again. It appeared that the main engine bearings may be at fault, so new ones were purchased. The engine was stripped so that the crankshaft could could be taken to our friendly re-bore works to have the bearings fitted. Woe, woe, woe. The crankshaft was in two pieces instead on one! One of the lobes had cracked and was slipping out of line with the shaft, thus making the whole assembly out of balance.

Have you ever tried to find a new crankshaft for a BMW 600 at short notice? It is impossible. We could not get the parts repaired for several months at least, or so we were told by everyone we tried. At this stage I was getting really fed up with the whole idea of going in the BMW, and I cannot imagine how Malcolm must have felt. Somehow, though, he kept on trying different ideas. The final solution was the one which proved successful. It appeared the only easy to get the car mobile would be to fit a complete engine. But there were no 600 engines about. In fact, we did know of one, belonging to Betty Varley in Yorkshire, but that had a similar problem to ours, and she had been trying to find a replacement for some time without success. There was one alternative. The BMW 700. We have a couple of friends with 700's, and knew that we could get hold of an engine which was being sold as part of a load of spares, together with a 700 coupe car. The trouble was that we had to buy the lot, car and all! Nothing daunted, Malcolm went off to collect the engine, leaving everything else where it was for the time being. It took him only a short time to work out that there were few reasons why the 700 engine should not fit our car, the main reasons revolving around the carburettor and manifolds. Anyway, it did fit - just! There was no room for an air filter, and one of the inlet manifolds had to be modified to fit around the engine cradle in the 600. The 600 exhaust was fitted, and the engine actually worked. We still didn't have a flywheel damper, and had to continue with Mike's one. Malcolm tried to drive the car, but could not engage gear. Out came the engine again, more modifications, in again, then out and in about seven or eight more times. Still it worked in the end. New drive couplings had been fitted, but even so, we were worried that the 700 engine may produce too much power for the transmission, so we had to make up our minds to drive with this thought in mind. The BHP of the 700 os 30, compared with only 19.5 of the 600. There was a lot of adjusting still to be done before everything was first class, but Malcolm was using the car everyday in an effort to iron out the teething troubles.

At last, on Wednesday 23rd May, Malcolm came to my home to collect me, and we went off to complete the final packing of the car. An hour later we were off!. If the car went wrong now, all we could do was stop and take it to bits at the side of the road. We were booked onto the evening boat from Sheerness to Flushing, and arrived in good time. Whilst waiting to embark, we spent a few minutes adapting the headlamps so that they would be suitable for driving on the right. Up to this time I had still not driven the car on the road, and not at all with the 700 engine. In fact, I didn't drive until the next morning, part way across the Netherlands. I am not a good sailor, but I must say I quite enjoyed the crossing. The water was calm and the boat quite comfortable. We had a cabin so we could get some sleep before the long drive the next day. I believe this to be essential. Last time we were on the continent, we did not bother with a cabin and found that we were very tired the next day. Not the best way to be when driving around a foreign country on the wrong side of the road!

The next day, Thursday, we were awakened in good time for docking at Flushing. Dutch time is one hour ahead of British Summer Time, so we had to get accustomed to that. We drove for about two hours, then stopped at a picnic and camping area at the roadside for our first outdoor meal. It was an admirable start to the holiday, enjoying breakfast in the sunshine, whilst seated at a rustic table set amongst the trees. After breakfast I began my first stint at driving. It was rather strange at first, driving a strange calm still with a few slight problems with the clutch, in a strange country. Still, we didn't have any accidents.

Our first destination was the village of Doorwerth, just outside Arnhem, where we went to meet our friend Henry Rutgers. He was going to the rally in a normal car - if you can call an Alfetta normal - with a trailer on the back carrying a Messerschmitt for a friend. We arrived at Henry's just about on time, and had a quick meal before setting off once more. This was, perhaps, the most boring drive of all. Malcolm and I took turns to drive, but it was well over 400 kilometres, just following the car in front. However, there was one bright spot, when we met up with a family from Holland on their way to Störy for the rally, in five Messerschmitts! We exchanged greetings, and proceeded on our way.

We didn't arrive at Störy until early evening, and had to put our watches back as German time, unlike Dutch, is the same as British. Confusing, isn't it? Some of the other cars had arrived at Störy, including a friend of ours, Sjoerd ter Burg, who had come in his Zundapp Janus, whilse another friend had driven Sjoerd's newly acquired Goggomobil van. Some other British visitors were there, Edwin Hammond and his family had brought over a Peel P50, which was proving a great attraction to the continentals, and his Scootercar. We were greeted by Otto Kunecke, who invited us into his home where we enjoyed barbecued sausages, made locally to a traditional recipe, and punch with fresh strawberries. Then it was time to erect the tent and get a good night's sleep. It had been a very full day.

Friday was reserved for a private look around the Automuseum in the morning, and socialising with other visitors later in the day. What an amazing collection of cars! There are some really unusual and fascinating cars on show, some British, but mostly of German manufacture. I can assure you that it is possible to walk around and round the museum and see different points of interest on different cars each time. As for photographs, both Malcolm and I took far more than we intended. As the day progressed, more and more visitors arrived, the courtyard became increasingly full with cars. Herbert Kroll and his wife, Angelika, arrived in the afternoon, and took charge of the public address system. He was very busy over the weekend with all the German Isetta club business, and generally trying to take part in everything that went on. Isetta's were very much in evidence, their continental owners seeming more enthusiastic about joining events of this kind than their British counterparts. Later in the day, about 7:30pm, a convoy of Messerschmitts arrived from Britain, led by Ian Hopkins in his '175', one of the very early ones. The rear of the convoy was rounded off by a Heinkel containing Ron Crawley. The same Heinkel, incidentally, which was used in two episodes of the television series 'The Upchat Connection'.

The evening of Friday was taken up with talking to as many of the other people present from Germany, Holland, and as far away as Italy and Sweden. Most of them, luckily, spoke English, but even the one's who didn't had little trouble in making themselves understood, and in understanding us. As an international gathering guaranteed to promote friendship and understanding between people of different nationalities, it must have surpassed anything the United Nations has ever achieved!

It sounds as if we didn't do much that day, but believe me, it didn't seem like that at the time.

Saturday was the day for the Rally proper. A drive around the surrounding countryside was planned, following a route set out on a map given to the driver of each car. This covered about forty miles if done properly, but we did more. Part way around this drive, we were directed onto a woodland track where every driver was given a set of questions to answer, mostly concerning the Museum, or micro-cars in general. Even after all the time spent in the Museum, we managed to come up with several wrong answers!

Back to the driving again, and the next stop was an unscheduled one. Our friend, Henry Rutgers, was driving a Bond Minicar which had been on display at the Museum, but which he was to take home after the Rally. We passed him stopped at the side of the road, looking a bit worried. It seemed that the Bond was making funny noises, and inspection proved the reason to be a lack of oil in the clutch and gearbox. Luckily, we had some spare, and soon we were all on our way again. The next scheduled stop was at a local beauty spot, where we were each presented with a T-shirt and a small bottle of liqueur. Then a walk through some candle lit caves back to the cars. Malcolm went back and added one of his bubble car candles to those already burning in the cave! As we were standing around chatting, the Bond arrived, once again in trouble. The exhaust was loose, so we helped put that right. Then back to the Museum, where we found the courtyard full of cars, with a lot of people selling all manner of spares for all sorts of microcars. Rather like the Unipart advert which says, "thousands of parts for millions of cars." A quick look round though showed that we were not going to find a replacement crankshaft for our car, so we started looking for other things. Several parts which we wanted for the 600 were purchased, as were some parts for our Lloyd 600 Estate car, and an engine for our Kleinschnittger F125, a real rarity. We were particularly pleased with this purchase as there are many people on the continent who would have been glad to have seen it first.

A snack bar had been erected at one side of the courtyard, together with a milk bar selling all sorts of dairy products, and one of the larger barns had been converted into a bar, with tables and chairs, so there was no need to go short of food or drink.

That evening there was a trip to the Hotel Kaiserhof, the largest in the nearby town of Bockenem, where several rooms had been booked for the showing of films, looking at photographs and literature, general bubble car chat, etc. Malcolm and i were invited to attend a meeting of the German Isetta Club, and did manage to spend a short time there, during which we arranged a few deals between the British and German clubs with regard to spare parts. Herbert Kroll also handed over a quantity of Silenbloc bushes which we had ordered through their club. Then back upstairs to the main party. That was a very late night. So many people with so much to talk about, and all of it so interesting. It sounds as if several of them are intending to come over for the Burford Rally in September, so let's hope they enjoy their stay as much as we enjoyed ours. It's really something to go to a strange land and meet a lot of people who you have never met before, but yet who greet you as if you've been friends for years. I suppose though, that that is what we are, the friendship having been initiated when we bought similar cars, and confirmed when we went over to see their country.

On Sunday everyone was getting ready for the journey home. We left in convoy, bound for Sjoerd's home at Winterswijk. First the Bond Minicar, then the Goggomobil Van, Zundapp Janus, BMW 600, Messerschmitt 175 (Ian had decided to come home with us rather than with the other 'Schmitts), followed by the Alfa with the 'Schmitt on the trailer, and a Transit van carrying the Scootercar and Peel P50. The first thing we did was all take the wrong road, so everyone had to stop, turn around, and set off the other way. The order changed a few times, but we continued towards Winterswijk, stopping only for petrol, and for a meal before reaching the Dutch border. At Winterwijk we split up, the Goggomobil, Zundapp, Me175, and us going to Sjoerd's home, and everyone else to Doorwerth for a quick look at Henry's collection. We spent the night in comfort at Sjoerd's home in Winterswijk, setting off early the next morning for a quick look at his cars. En route we stopped twice to look at unusual vehicles parked at the roadside. Sjoerd has several interesting cars, but his main interest is the Zundapp Janus, and he has five of these, and is considering setting up an owner's club. Later, we set off for Henry's house at Doorwerth, arriving there after a journey of 69 kilometres.

Henry Rutgers has an amazing collection of cars. Many of his cars are makes which are not even represented in the Automuseum Störy, which will give an indication of their rarity. We spent hours looking over them, and taking photographs, after which we enjoyed a good meal. Then back to the cars. Henry bought a Peel Trident in the Isle of Wight a couple of years ago, but had been unable to get it running since. Malcolm decided that this was not a very satisfactory situation, and proceeded to start work on it. Within a short time we had the Trident in the road, and Malcolm and Henry were taking turns driving it up and down the street! That was until a policeman turned up and suggested that it might be a good idea to stop before there were any more complaints about the noise. Anyway, it was running.

An early night had been decided upon as we had to get up early for the boat, but somehow it didn't happen, and Malcolm, Ian, and I spent quite a while talking about microcars with Henry and his daughter Irene. She knows a good deal about many of these cars which most people haven't heard of. We never did get our early night. We did manage to get up early though, and on the way to Flushing (or Vlissingen, if you want to speak Dutch). It was beginning to drizzle when we arrived, so we were glad that there was not long to wait. Soon we were on the boat, and on our way home. Again we enjoyed an uneventful crossing, for which I am most grateful. In fact, I would be quite happy to do it again, although I would never admit it to Malcolm. I think that when Britannia ruled the waves that day she must have had a nice straight ruler.

We arrived back in Sheerness slightly ahead of time, even allowing for the constant adjustments of our watches, and found to our horror that nearly all of the petrol stations were closed. At last, when both the 600 and the 'Schmitt were on reserve, we found one open, but had to join a long queue. After that, it was only a short drive home.

The total distance covered was 1,613 kilometres, of which 1,419 were on the continent. The car went perfectly,even the clutch problem solving itself on the outward journey, and we only used half a pint of oil. Petrol consumption was about 45-50mpg, and perhaps could have been better had there been time to adjust the carburettor, etc, before leaving.

Was it worth it?

you bet it was! My thanks go to Malcolm who performed miracles with the car and ensured a trouble free journey.