Isetta

This Brighton, Sussex built Isetta was spotted at the 32nd edition of the Sandwell Historic Vehicle Show in the West Midlands.

Smart’s ForTwo is ready to grow!

Extra doors and seats make favourite an A1 competitor
Near-identical Smart tries to triumph where ForFour failed.

The Smart ForTwo is growing – and here’s the picture to prove it! Auto Express has learned that Mercedes is planning to add a pair of rear doors and extra seats to its famous city car.
Doubling the Smart’s carrying capacity to four people, the new variant will give the range some added practicality, letting it compete with an upcoming raft of desirable small cars such as Audi’s A1 and BMW’s Isetta. No name has yet been give to the newcomer, but it’s likely to carry the ForTwo +2 tag, indicating that it’s very much an addition to the ForTwo line-up.
As you can see from this illustration, the new model is near identical to the two-seater, apart from a pair of neatly integrated small rear doors. These reverse-hinged units give access to two individual chairs in the back. Underneath the skin, the car features the same rear-wheel-drive layout as the regular ForTwo with the engine under the boot floor, but with a stretched wheelbase giving extra legroom.

Read full article here.

12th Annual Microcar and Minicar Classic

In its first eleven years, this event has become one of the premiere microcar events, with three micro-tours, a huge eclectic gourmet feed, cruise night and a spectacular farewell breakfast. Last year, over 125 registered guests with 70 unusual microcars and minicars and over 1,000 spectators attended the Lawn Exhibit at the Larz Anderson Museum of Transportation, in Brookline Massachusetts.
A wide array of really unusual, eccentric microcars and minicars including Isettas, Fiats, Crosleys, Goggomobiles, Messerschmitts, Vespas, Lloyds, NSU Prins', Hondas, Subarus, and others!
Extremely rare and exotic microcars, including a Brutsch Mopetta (in 2000), any number of Messerschmitt Kabinenrollers, a Kleinschnittger F125, a Peel Trident (!), Victoria or a Fuji Cabin.
For more information go here.

String Isetta

Hi Annette,
We're just back from a break in France - had a beautiful cottage in the Tarn, about 45 min from Toulouse. Went to Albi last Saturday where the attached was taking part in the Fete de la Patisserie - don't ask, but there was a huge amount of free cake!
The vehicle was charging about through the crowds. It has a cord-laced wirebody on a steel frame, and the driver sits outside, high at the back, and pedals and steers. At one point he had three large kids inside and two women on stilts sitting on the roof (again, don't ask), and was happily pedalling away, no sign of a sweat!
Great break, very restful, now back to a serious Rocket groundrush . . .
best wishes,
Peter

The Green Machine vs The Radish

Rival Isetta owners John and Heinz threatened to drag race their respective British and German built cars at Saturday's season opener of the Street Classics Show and Shine Association's meet. It was great to meet up with other smart drivers Mr. Natural, smart65 (of clubsmartcar) and the Hewetsons.