This 1956 BMW Isetta 300 is on Craigslist with an asking price of $8,500! I passed on buying one in nice, driver-condition about three decades ago for $2,500, that was a huge mistake. This one will need a full restoration, as you can tell, but it looks super solid. Thanks to Olaf for tracking this microcar down for us.

Ha, I love these things! And before it comes up, these weren’t made for 2016 American freeways, so there weren’t humongous SUVs to contend with. There were trucks, of course, but these cars were meant to get a post-WWII German public on their feet again. Or, actually, to get them off of their feet and into a set of wheels again. City-duty was the calling of the Isetta, not the Autobahn or any other modern situation like that.

The seller isn’t letting us in on too much here, just that this car is in need of total restoration. They also have pretty much 94.7% of every microcar ever made (not really) listed as “keywords”, hoping to snag anyone like me who searches for such things. You can tell that the body on this Isetta is in nice shape. There will always be some bending, hammering, and welding to do during a restoration, and that’s usually just on the doghouse where you’ll be living once you take on yet another restoration project. There are no engine photos, outside of something like this photo showing the side of the car with the engine panel removed. But, hopefully the engine is all there. 1956 was the year when Germany changed the law that allowed vehicles with an engine under 250 cc to be operated by drivers with just a motorcycle license and it’s when the Isetta 300 was introduced with a bigger engine, all 298 cc and 13 hp of it!

Here’s where you’ll be stretching out your legs, if you’re 3′-5″ tall. The classic, unique swing-away-steering wheel and front-opening door are hallmarks of the Isetta, just one of many hallmarks. It does look like a complete car, does anyone notice anything missing, like knobs, badges, levers, etc? The seats are just one part of your to-do list on this car, but heck yeah it’ll be worth it when you’re done! We have all seen these cars sell for $30,000-$50,000 in restored condition so I’m sure that one of you could restore this car and come out ahead. Have any of you driven an Isetta? Or, better yet, have any of you restored one?