Isetta rear light glasses

[Bob Purton]

Will do. Thanks for the tip.

[richard]

sent this morning bob - all part of the service 

[Bob Purton]

Lucas glass lenses received and thanks! I tried to fit them but the bulbs were set to far forward and foul the back of the lens. I now realize I have to also change the bulb holder units for L488 ones.

Just returned from Battlesbridge Auto jumble and bought two of these deeper units , good second hand ones for £2.50 each. Now I have everything to put Thumpers rear lights back to correct spec and for very little money too!    Thanks for your help Richard.

[Bob Purton]

As suggested by Richard, to round up the topic, before and after showing the difference between the Butlers and the Lucas lens.

[Rusty Chrome (Malcolm Parker)]

Thanks Bob. Thumper's now looking very smooth! 

[Barry]

http://cars.trovit.co.uk/index.php/cod.frame/url.http%253A%252F%252Fwww.classiccarsforsale.co.uk%252Fcar-advert%252Fbmw%252Fisetta%252F1960%252F215344%252F/id_ad.1y1m1R1Fg1o1ta/what_d.Isetta/origin.15/section.21/section_type.1/pop.0

At first I thought this was your one Bob - by the back lights.  (You would get more for it in the USA).

[Bob Purton]

Well an easy mistake to make Richard, that model is quite common as is the colour. I dare say it would fetch a goodly price in the USA but as its not for sale this is academic. Besides, I have sold my last two cars to people that I like in this country for what I considered the market price at the time. Both are still here and I still get to see them from time to time which is nice.

[richard]

Oi ! Who are you calling Richard ? It's Barry he's always on about Micro back lights  

[Bob Purton]

Oh so it is!

[steven mandell]

http://cars.trovit.co.UK/index.php/cod.frame/url.http%253A%252F%252Fwww.classiccarsforsale.co.uk%252Fcar-advert%252Fbmw%252Fisetta%252F1960%252F215344%252F/id_ad.1y1m1R1Fg1o1ta/what_d.Isetta/origin.15/section.21/section_type.1/pop.0

At first I thought this was your one Bob - by the back lights.  (You would get more for it in the USA).

Hi Barry,
I can see how you might think that this car might fetch more in the USA due to its being  lhd.
However,  excluding the Bruce Wiener auction's exceptional results, I have not noticed that the average sale price for Isettas in the US is any higher than those generally realised in the UK.
Take into account that it is the more ungainly appearing and less stable 3 wheeled version, and it would most definitely be likely to sell for less over here.
After additional consideration about how professionally the inevitable climate related rust issues were handled, and the very real additional minimum of 2000 gbp to get it safely delivered to the west coast, for optimum auction ability, and it becomes plain that this would be a losing proposition.
If it were a 250cc model instead of a 300, or had no reverse gear, it would likely prove to be an even bigger mistake.

[Barry]

Interesting.

Good to hear about the market and opinion from the USA.  Certainly in England, Isetta prices are rising.

Personally, I much prefer the three wheel Isetta.  In England I think the tradition of three wheels is deeply ingrained in our motoring history, perhaps because of Taxation and licencing laws.

Others know more than me but I think a few four wheelers made it through the regulations and were registered as trikes.

Four wheels are just not quite right to me.

[Bob Purton]

Whilst we are on Isetta's I'm looking for an original rear mud guard just in case anyone has one knocking around. Thanks.

[AndyL]

I was reading this with some interest, specifically the debate over when the glass rear light with separate reflector changed over to the larger plastic lensed unit with integrated reflector.

My car was registered towards the end of 1959 according to my V5 document. It was a LHD super plus, with the large 7" headlamps and separate pod lights, with the cow catcher bumpers and also had the smaller side aluminium trim of the earlier cars. However it had the 3" plastic lensed rear lights. Lee Turnham of the IOC insisted that this was not original equipment for a pre 1960 car, and that they must have been retrofitted. I considered this wasn't impossible, my car being originally festooned with lights and mirrors (I think a previous owner must have watched Quadrophenia one too many times) however I could never find any sign of holes in the body where the fixing screws for separate reflectors would have been mounted, and there was no sign of filler or welding of said holes either.

Therefore I came to the conclusion that the crossover occurred sometime in mid to late 1959.

[Bob Purton]

That all adds weight to my argument that Thumper, my 1960 registered car seen here was built in 59.
 

[AndyL]

Aha, trying to dodge the old MOT man then!