31
Unusual Microcar Discussion / ACOMA Mini Comtesse France
« Last Post by 007stitch on January 17, 2021, 12:40:24 am »I purchased my 1975 ACOMA Mini Comtesse in December 2020. What do the five letters in the acronym ACOMA stand for?
Recent Posts
32
Microcar News / The Jarc/ Astra
« Last Post by Chris Thomas on January 15, 2021, 04:25:50 pm »I have just read an article in the February 2021 issue of The Automobile written by Scott Barrett regarding the Four Lives of the Little Horse. This is part one of the story and contains many facts that are new to me, and hopefully to many of you. Well worth a read
Chris Thomas
Chris Thomas
33
RUMCar Mart / Re: BMW 700
« Last Post by Alexander1981 on January 13, 2021, 05:51:55 pm »Wow! Not that's incredible someone owns this rare BMW 700. Just as I like Isetta, the 700 is something special and haven't seen for many years already. It seems pretty much forgotten from what I can tell. I had a chance to be a passenger in this car and I'd love to be in it again.
Is there any chance you could post some pictures of your 700? I think everyone would like to see it!
Is there any chance you could post some pictures of your 700? I think everyone would like to see it!
34
RUMCar Mart / Re: BMW 700
« Last Post by Boxertwin on January 10, 2021, 12:20:41 pm »Intrerresting start, with a bit of mis-information here and there. As an owner of an active 700CS perhaps I can add to the thread.
The BMW 700 was designed by Micholotti (who designed the Triumph Herald) and put on sale and shown at the 1959 Geneva Motor Show. It was an immediate success. the big question is 'WHY'?
So to history: - As the standard Isetta 250/300 production progressed in post war Germany, the company realised it needed a replacement and a more family friendly car with more space than the standard Isetta. BMW therefore designed and put into production in I believe 1957, the BMW 600, as a a 'super' Isetta. This used a modified version of the BMW R69 Motorcycle engine which had been developed to power a portable generator for the German/Nato Forces. The 600 used a 'Ladder' type Chassis, a custom transaxle similar to a small VW unit, an a beefed up version of the Isettas 'dubonnet' front suspension. However, it retained the Isetta's front opening door, but added a side door for access to properly sized rear seats.
The 600 was not particularly well received by the public since they were unsure if the car was a 'proper' car or a 'Bubble Car'. Sales were slow and I believe that only about 22000 were built in about 2 years of production.
At this point BMW's classic, and expensive, coach built cars were significanly out of date, and were no longer selling well to the public. The Isetta - a Design Liscenced from ISO, although built in considerable numbers, was really an 'at cost' sale and returned no profit to the company for re-investment in either plant or designs. Thus by the late 50's Glas (manufacturers of the Goggomobil) were approached to see if they were interested in taking over BMW! (consider David taking over Golliath!). Glas declined, but by the mid 60 (I believe 1964) were themselves taken over by BMW, when Glas failed to increase sales of their larger car designes, and Herr Glas the founder decied it was time to retire. (an interesting note here is that one of the quintesential BMW Classics (pre-New Classe) was the the BMW 1500/1600 Coupe - actually a Glas Design!).
So, at the dawn of 1959, BMW was near backrupt. Its classic designs would not sell, Isetta sales were starting to decline, and the BMW 600 had failed to capture the Public imagination. Action was needed! At this point the main Viennese agent of BMW took the chassis and running gear of a '600' to Michilotti, with the instruction 'what can you design with this'! The result was the short wheelbase BMW 700 Coupe and Saloon. The coupe actually being the first to market at the end of 1959. To be fair, the separate Chassis/Body Desing of the original Michilotti prototypes were scrapped during tooling (actually paid for by the Bavarian government!), and the BMW became the first Monocoque desing that BMW produced. The standard 600 engine was 'stretched and tuned' to give 32bhp, and the cars flew off the shelves. However, to be honest, very little of the 600 was carried forward to the 700, The Engine and Transaxle were developments from the 600, the front suspension was much more massive and stronger than the 600, the steering was by 'rack and pinion', and essentially everything else was new!
The cars were lightweights which helped with material supply, and weighed in at only 550kgs. The Coupe establishing itself as the German 'Club Racer' by the end of 1960, and available in CS guise with a tuned 42 BH twin carb engine - The CS cars handled well and were easily on a par with the much heavier BMC Mini Cooper and Cooper S. If you wanted to go racing the company would even supply a 'Sport' version to special order, which, depending on the depth of your pockets could be supplied with tuned engines, stealing form the R69 parts bin, with reputedly up to 65 BHP.
By 1962 the short wheelbase cars were felt to be a bit too small and the long wheelbase Saloons and Coupes were produced by adding about 6 inches or so to the monocoque in front of the rear swinging arms, and a further 4 inches to the rear, giving more room within the engine bay. (rumour has it it that this was to allow for a 'twin 700' i.e. a 1.4 litre boxer 4 to be fitted to the cars, and it is believed that one was actually built, but was so fast in the light weight 700 body that it outperformed the prototype 'New Classe' cars, and was hence shelved).
So, the history, as I understand it, is that by the end of the 50's BMW was more or less bankrupt, the Isetta had only provided minimal cash flow to keep the BMW Car Company alive. The coming and popularity of the BMW 700 in all of it's guises stabilised production at BMW, and provided both cash flow and some profit - reinvested in the designs of the 'New Classe' cars of the mid 60s, which lead to the BMW company we know today.
The BMW 700 was designed by Micholotti (who designed the Triumph Herald) and put on sale and shown at the 1959 Geneva Motor Show. It was an immediate success. the big question is 'WHY'?
So to history: - As the standard Isetta 250/300 production progressed in post war Germany, the company realised it needed a replacement and a more family friendly car with more space than the standard Isetta. BMW therefore designed and put into production in I believe 1957, the BMW 600, as a a 'super' Isetta. This used a modified version of the BMW R69 Motorcycle engine which had been developed to power a portable generator for the German/Nato Forces. The 600 used a 'Ladder' type Chassis, a custom transaxle similar to a small VW unit, an a beefed up version of the Isettas 'dubonnet' front suspension. However, it retained the Isetta's front opening door, but added a side door for access to properly sized rear seats.
The 600 was not particularly well received by the public since they were unsure if the car was a 'proper' car or a 'Bubble Car'. Sales were slow and I believe that only about 22000 were built in about 2 years of production.
At this point BMW's classic, and expensive, coach built cars were significanly out of date, and were no longer selling well to the public. The Isetta - a Design Liscenced from ISO, although built in considerable numbers, was really an 'at cost' sale and returned no profit to the company for re-investment in either plant or designs. Thus by the late 50's Glas (manufacturers of the Goggomobil) were approached to see if they were interested in taking over BMW! (consider David taking over Golliath!). Glas declined, but by the mid 60 (I believe 1964) were themselves taken over by BMW, when Glas failed to increase sales of their larger car designes, and Herr Glas the founder decied it was time to retire. (an interesting note here is that one of the quintesential BMW Classics (pre-New Classe) was the the BMW 1500/1600 Coupe - actually a Glas Design!).
So, at the dawn of 1959, BMW was near backrupt. Its classic designs would not sell, Isetta sales were starting to decline, and the BMW 600 had failed to capture the Public imagination. Action was needed! At this point the main Viennese agent of BMW took the chassis and running gear of a '600' to Michilotti, with the instruction 'what can you design with this'! The result was the short wheelbase BMW 700 Coupe and Saloon. The coupe actually being the first to market at the end of 1959. To be fair, the separate Chassis/Body Desing of the original Michilotti prototypes were scrapped during tooling (actually paid for by the Bavarian government!), and the BMW became the first Monocoque desing that BMW produced. The standard 600 engine was 'stretched and tuned' to give 32bhp, and the cars flew off the shelves. However, to be honest, very little of the 600 was carried forward to the 700, The Engine and Transaxle were developments from the 600, the front suspension was much more massive and stronger than the 600, the steering was by 'rack and pinion', and essentially everything else was new!
The cars were lightweights which helped with material supply, and weighed in at only 550kgs. The Coupe establishing itself as the German 'Club Racer' by the end of 1960, and available in CS guise with a tuned 42 BH twin carb engine - The CS cars handled well and were easily on a par with the much heavier BMC Mini Cooper and Cooper S. If you wanted to go racing the company would even supply a 'Sport' version to special order, which, depending on the depth of your pockets could be supplied with tuned engines, stealing form the R69 parts bin, with reputedly up to 65 BHP.
By 1962 the short wheelbase cars were felt to be a bit too small and the long wheelbase Saloons and Coupes were produced by adding about 6 inches or so to the monocoque in front of the rear swinging arms, and a further 4 inches to the rear, giving more room within the engine bay. (rumour has it it that this was to allow for a 'twin 700' i.e. a 1.4 litre boxer 4 to be fitted to the cars, and it is believed that one was actually built, but was so fast in the light weight 700 body that it outperformed the prototype 'New Classe' cars, and was hence shelved).
So, the history, as I understand it, is that by the end of the 50's BMW was more or less bankrupt, the Isetta had only provided minimal cash flow to keep the BMW Car Company alive. The coming and popularity of the BMW 700 in all of it's guises stabilised production at BMW, and provided both cash flow and some profit - reinvested in the designs of the 'New Classe' cars of the mid 60s, which lead to the BMW company we know today.
35
Microcar News / Re: Rob Dobie
« Last Post by Chris Thomas on January 07, 2021, 08:49:06 pm »Dear Stuart
Good to hear from you on the Forum.
Thank you for the additional information regarding Rob Dobie. The Summer issue of Rumcar News has not yet been returned to me, only the Autumn and Winter issues, which would suggest that he went down hill between mid-June and mid-September. It has taken Royal Mail 4 months to return his mail. Either that or the new home owners, who have only just moved in.
As you say, yet another name gone for good.
Keep safe
Chris Thomas
The Archive of Microcars
Good to hear from you on the Forum.
Thank you for the additional information regarding Rob Dobie. The Summer issue of Rumcar News has not yet been returned to me, only the Autumn and Winter issues, which would suggest that he went down hill between mid-June and mid-September. It has taken Royal Mail 4 months to return his mail. Either that or the new home owners, who have only just moved in.
As you say, yet another name gone for good.
Keep safe
Chris Thomas
The Archive of Microcars
36
Microcar News / Re: Rob Dobie
« Last Post by Stuart Cyphus on January 06, 2021, 03:37:23 pm »I've been trying to find out what's happened to Rob too since last summer when I realised he hadn't been in touch with me since February 2020. I tried phoning him in June & the phone just kept ringing & then in October it stated "Number does not exist". Then in December I discovered Zoopla had his house in Polegate listed as having sold last May.
I was hoping he'd just suddenly gone into a nursing home but alas it does seem yet another name has suddenly gone for good.
I was hoping he'd just suddenly gone into a nursing home but alas it does seem yet another name has suddenly gone for good.
37
RUMCar News / MOVED: Tips to Maintain Your Second-Hand Car
« Last Post by Chris Thomas on January 05, 2021, 01:58:07 pm »This topic has been moved to [Unusual Microcar Discussion].
http://rumcars.org/forum/index.php?topic=5636.0
http://rumcars.org/forum/index.php?topic=5636.0
38
Unusual Microcar Discussion / Tips to Maintain Your Second-Hand Car
« Last Post by Chrisalex on January 04, 2021, 10:31:40 am »Maintaining a second-hand car seems to be troublesome for many people out there. But actually, it is not if you know the tips to maintain it. The most common yet easy tips include reading the manual to learn almost everything about your used car. People who buy a second-hand car in japan also maintain it by keeping the oil fresh and clean and they adhere to the maintaining and servicing schedules given to them. regular fluid changing and checking for the tiers are a few of the tips you can follow. What other tips do you follow to maintain your used car?
39
Microcar News / Rob Dobie
« Last Post by Chris Thomas on January 04, 2021, 09:39:23 am »I wonder if anybody can help me regarding Bob Dobie?
Over the weekend the Autumn copy of Rumcar News, that was sent out in mid September, was returned to me in the post, marked - Mr Dobie Deceased.
Has anybody any knowledge about when Rob died, or any other details.
Rob was such a part of the microcar scene, having rescued and renovated many microcars over the years. The last one being the Gordon in the Hammond Collection.
We are seeing the end of an era
Chris Thomas
Over the weekend the Autumn copy of Rumcar News, that was sent out in mid September, was returned to me in the post, marked - Mr Dobie Deceased.
Has anybody any knowledge about when Rob died, or any other details.
Rob was such a part of the microcar scene, having rescued and renovated many microcars over the years. The last one being the Gordon in the Hammond Collection.
We are seeing the end of an era
Chris Thomas
40
RUMCar Mart / Re: Js6 breaking
« Last Post by ebaeza78 on December 27, 2020, 07:39:38 pm »I could be interested. Any possibilities of fitting them a 1 cilinder engine?