ISETTA RECOLLECTIONS

by Martin Barrell (published in the Isetta Gazette June 1980)

Back in 1969 I sold my first Isetta 300, a 1960 three wheeler. It has always held many fond memories (as they do). It caught fire several times after shorting out under the seat. Several dim witted friends sat smouldering, not quite aware of what was happening until they felt the pain, or saw me running up the road screaming, "She's gonna blow!" She never did.

Many a saturday night it sat on the embankment whilst I and some lucky girl enjoyed a night at a club on Greek Street. The reason that I parked it on the Embankment was the flatness of the road, which enabled these girls to push start with relative ease. Never let it be said that I was inconsiderate. Passers by would often jeer and say that I should be pushing, but I would explain that these cars could only be handled by experts, and anyway, a new set of high heels didn't cost that much!

The dog once nearly fell out at 40mph whilst I was trying to shut the door, and brake and steer at the same time, and the local cats enjoyed the sun roof which afforded a soft warm bed.

Anyway, I eventually sold it because my father said I was cluttering up the garage with cars, bikes, etc, and I was a student and the money came in handy.

Many years later, I still kept a look out for these strange machines - Isetta spotting, we all do it. My wife got the message and one day she said that she had spotted an Isetta in the middle of a building site at the Engineers Training Centre. I rushed around to find a grey, windowless, four wheeler looking very forlorn. I asked the receptionist whose it was, and could I buy it? A donation was suggested, so I offered £30, a sum which was to include the windows, which had been removed to discourage vandals. I also got the log book, although they all thought me mad for wanting it.

My new Isetta was delivered in a wine and spirits loory a friend drove, via his rounds, at a cost of £10.

On closer inspection I noticed there was no clutch pedal or cable, and there was an extra control box.

What moron would take out the clutch pedal, I wondered? Nothing else was missing, even the spare wheel being intact. I hadn't time to do much to the car, and was a little worried about where I would find a spare pedal, when I read an old newsletter and spotted the bit about two pedalled Isetta's. After spending a day at work putting two and two together, and having realised that I drove a clutchless volkswagen, I realised to my delight that I now owned one of these cars, a two pedal model with a switch incorporated with the gear lever, which explained the two wires creeping up it!

I hope to have it MOT'd by Christmas, and ready for rallies in the spring. The strange thing is, although I now have been through mini's, V.W's, MGB's, Stags, etc, I still find the most exciting cars for me to be these tiny micro cars, especially the Isetta. I look forward to showing it off in the spring in its true colours, when it comes out of hibernation.