RARER THAN RARE – THE BMW 600

Car and Classic is to auction the ultimate version of the BMW 'Bubble Car' family – a 1958 600: https://www.carandclassic.com/make-an-offer/1958-bmw-600-gyOyQ4. To quote the original sales copy: "Everything which was unnecessary and cumbersome, everything which served no practical purpose, was thrown overboard in the construction of the BMW 600".

By 1956, BMW planned to launch the 700, a Michelotti-styled four-seater saloon in 1959. The 600 debuted two years earlier as a stop gap, and it was essentially the Isetta writ large. There was another door on the right-hand side and a folding (and removable) rear seat. Power was from a detuned version of the two-cylinder 582cc R67 motorcycle engine with a central lever for the four-speed all-synchromesh transmission. The top speed was 62 mph, and the 600 pioneered BMW's famous semi-trailing arm independent suspension.

The owner further benefitted from a heater, and as the speedometer was the only instrument, the dashboard lacked distractions. Extras included a cigarette lighter, a Blaupunkt radio, a roof rack, a tow bar, a locking fuel cap, an engine compartment lock, Saxomat semi-automatic transmission, fog and reversing lamps and windscreen washers.

One fascinating detail was how BMW provided two fuel taps instead of a petrol gauge, one mounted lower in the tank than the other. The driver could use it as a reserve if there were no response from the higher tap. Another was, of course, accessing the front seat. As with the Isetta, the steering wheel and dashboard swing outwards on opening the door. Autocar warned, "A technique has to be developed for getting in and out easily…".

BMW borrowed 7m DM when developing the 600, as they hoped for annual sales of 400,000 units, but the 'Big Isetta' did not fulfil their hopes. One challenge was it cost within 200 DM of the VW Beetle, and the Bubble Car era was now waning, with German motorists opting for the Glas Goggomobile, the NSU Prinz and the Neckar-built Fiat 600.

As for UK sales, the 600 appeared at the 1957 Earls Court Motor Show, and it clearly impressed Motor Sport: “Isetta have made a special display of the new four-seater 600 saloon, which with its flat-twin 585-c.c. BMW engine should be the high-performance model amongst the minicars. It will make Fiat think - especially as it costs £76 10s less here than the two-seater Fiat 500 and £169 10s less than the Fiat 600, and looks to have lots of room inside.”

Some commentators anticipated a British-built version in 1958 from BMW's Isetta assembly plant in Brighton. When Autocar tested the 600 in 1958, the price was £676 when an Austin A35 De Luxe four-door was £601, a Ford Prefect De Luxe was £658 and a four-door Morris Minor 1000 was £662. Yet, despite the BMW’s comparatively high cost, it had "sufficient merit to entitle it to serious consideration".

The Motor wrote: “In Britain, perhaps, the greatest importance of the BMW 600 is, as a reminder to both manufacturers and car buyers that, somewhere mid-way between these sizes a compromise can be struck which combines most of the carrying capacity and effortless performance of one with most of the compactness and economy of operation of the other. It is sincerely hoped that before long either this or some equivalent car will be built in Britain so that it can be marketed here at a truly competitive price.”

However, "Isetta of Great Britain Ltd" in Brighton never produced the 600, and BMW is believed to have exported just 12. Stirling Moss was the most famous British 600 owner. Back in Germany, production ended in 1959 after 34,813 units.

Perhaps its legacy is the ultimate flowering of the company's post-war microcar formula, and here are some of my impressions of the 600 from many years ago:

“...an engine note that sounds like a nest of annoyed hornets trapped in a supercharged washing machine. Better still, the BMW 600 obviously commands a great deal of respect from the average British motorist and pedestrian alike if our experience is any indication; several Ford Mondeos swerved to avoid us, and one shopper literally dropped her bags on seeing this fine car.”

Or as the brochure put it: "Many people drive cars but fastidious people prefer a BMW".

With thanks to www.carandclassic.com for their time and the permission to use the images in this blog.