A New Isetta May Be on The Way

BMW may be offering a redesign of its iconic postwar microcar, the Isetta, to compete with contemporary micros such as the Smart and the Fiat 500. The original Isetta was powered by a rear-mounted motorcycle engine that delivered about 12 horsepower, and on the base model the only door was its swing-away nose panel. Modern safety regs would prohibit this front-entry design, but the new Isetta would retain the egg-shaped silhouette of the original. The redesign is only in the earliest conceptual stages at the moment, and BMW may not make a decision on it until 2010.