RUMCars Forum

General Category => Microcar News => Topic started by: Rusty Chrome (Malcolm Parker) on November 30, 2007, 01:27:59 PM

Title: 21st-century Isetta
Post by: Rusty Chrome (Malcolm Parker) on November 30, 2007, 01:27:59 PM
Now heres a thing!

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/213099/bmw_isetta.html

http://www.autobild.de/artikel/Themen-Erlkoenige-Laesst-BMW-die-Kugel-wieder-rollen-_458027.html

The German website mentions the project has become known as "Minisetta" but that at the moment its just an idea thats being floated.
Title: Re: 21st-century Isetta
Post by: Bob Purton on November 30, 2007, 01:49:02 PM
Thats interesting in the light of what has been said recently about BMW denying the isettas existance because of it being bad for the company image.
Title: Re: 21st-century Isetta
Post by: marcus on November 30, 2007, 03:54:14 PM
Wow, BMW brought us the Mini and the Isetta ! Wow, great news!! Big respect to BMW. Obviously Iso in Italy and British Motor Corporation in England had nothing to do with them, then.
This sort of re-writing of history (very popular in America ) also has Mercedes Benz claiming to have invented the car.
Up against a wall the lot of them!
Rant over, actually I am quite liberal-minded really, I just believe in DEATH TO ALL ERXTREMISTS. And Stuart!
Title: Re: 21st-century Isetta
Post by: Dan Rodd on November 30, 2007, 05:03:16 PM
the first petrol driven car was actually invented in britain,before benz!
Title: Re: 21st-century Isetta
Post by: Rusty Chrome (Malcolm Parker) on November 30, 2007, 06:01:07 PM
Wow, BMW brought us the Mini and the Isetta ! Wow, great news!! Big respect to BMW. Obviously Iso in Italy and British Motor Corporation in England had nothing to do with them, then.
This sort of re-writing of history (very popular in America ) also has Mercedes Benz claiming to have invented the car.
Up against a wall the lot of them!
Rant over, actually I am quite liberal-minded really, I just believe in DEATH TO ALL ERXTREMISTS. And Stuart!

Not that I think we need to win friends or influence people, but I think we can put most of the inaccuracies in the english article down to a lazy British journalist, rather than to BMWs attempt to re-write history. 
Title: Re: 21st-century Isetta
Post by: marcus on December 02, 2007, 07:04:20 PM
You're probably right about the journo, but car companies do have a long track record of "inventing" things decades after some other car company had already done it, eg Audi's claim to have invented 4wd.
Dan, do mean Butler, as the brit who invented a petrol car? I think he came up with designs and pats before Benz, but from my research I believe that acclaim should go to Siegfried Markus who made a petrol powered car which still works. To say nothing of steam vehicles dating back to Cugnot's Fardier. What constitutes a "car", is it the type of motor, the number of wheels, type of fuel? How about da Vinci's clockwork car, does that count? I think it had 4wd too!
Stuart, why no comment from you about being included as an extremist...waiting for a witty retort!
Title: Re: 21st-century Isetta
Post by: Dan Rodd on December 02, 2007, 07:44:52 PM
Wow, BMW brought us the Mini and the Isetta ! Wow, great news!! Big respect to BMW. Obviously Iso in Italy and British Motor Corporation in England had nothing to do with them, then.
This sort of re-writing of history (very popular in America ) also has Mercedes Benz claiming to have invented the car.
Up against a wall the lot of them!
Rant over, actually I am quite liberal-minded really, I just believe in DEATH TO ALL ERXTREMISTS. And Stuart!

hope you dont mean our Stuart??
Title: Re: 21st-century Isetta
Post by: Smart51 on December 02, 2007, 07:49:15 PM
The gist of the German site is that BMW does not want to make a car smaller than the 1 series because it will dilute the brand.  However, they do need to make more efficient cars to lower their average CO2 emissions for the fleet to meet EU guide lines.  They haven't ruled out a tie up with Smart and they've not ruled out wider use of their "Pretty English Daughter" brand: MINI.  In fact they've already thought up the name Mini MINI for a small 2 seater.

Seems I'm right on the money with my 21st Century Isetta type car, but perhaps not enough ahead of the game.
Title: Re: 21st-century Isetta
Post by: Stuart Cyphus on December 02, 2007, 09:02:25 PM
Don't worry Daniel, that last line doesn't quite mean what it seems to read, - I understand what he means anyway. ;D (Thank you Marcus  :-*)
Title: Re: 21st-century Isetta
Post by: Bob Purton on December 02, 2007, 11:35:50 PM
I for one would be very supprised if the 21st century isetta came to anything.