A 1958 BMW Isetta is a very unusual vehicle and, up until the emergence of the Smart Car, it was not something that you see every day.
‘The design of the Smart Car was clearly ripped off from the Isetta, but there is only one original, and that would be the underpowered and unique BMW Isetta.’
Trevor and Pat Makarowski are the proud owners of a 1958 Isetta, and it was a group decision.
Pat was immediately attracted to the unusual looks of the car, so she was very interested in owning one. Thus a battle faced by many car guys (a wife’s approval) was won before it even started because Pat loved the car.
Isettas are very light vehicles. That is a very good feature because they are also ultra-light in the horsepower department. They top out around 50 mph, so freeways are not their friend. Pat and Trevor trailer their car to out of town shows behind a new BMW. The differences in technology and engineering are obvious, but the little Isetta is still more fun for the Makarowskis.
The actual restoration of the Isetta was a group effort- Pat did the interior and Trevor handled the exterior but it turned out that was the easy part.
The tough part was convincing the vehicle registry that an Isetta was a real car. The serial number fell one digit short and the car was short one door by conventional vehicle standards. The Isetta’s whole front end opens up as one big door, and that is the only way in or out of the little road warrior. Initially they weren’t buying into the concept at vehicle registry, but eventually the Makarowskis got plates for their little chariot.
But now there are no complications left for Pat, Trevor, and their little ancestor to the Smart Car.
‘Just the uncomplicated world of fun and lots of questions at car shows for the three of them.’
Jim Sutherland
