Isetta
Source: ShutterStock
The Isetta was an Italian designed bubble car, far tinier than traditional cars of the 50s. The Isetta only measured 7.5 feet end to end, you could almost fit 3 of them side the ’59 Continental (mentioned earlier). The Isetta originated in Italy by Iso, which was known for building fridges and scooters before moving into the automobile industry. Iso created the Isetta by placing a motorcycle engine into the tiny car, as one of the rare single cylinder engines at the time. The entire front end of this oddly cool car opened on hinges (oddly similar to the fridges Iso was building…) to allow the driver & passenger into the car. While the motorcycle engine did great for fuel efficiency, it wasn’t ideal for performance, the Iso Isetta 30+ seconds to reach 30 miles per hour (50km/h). Eventually, Iso began licensing the Isetta to manufacturers in France, Germany, Spain & Brazil.
