At first glance, it would be easy to write this 1957 BMW Isetta 300 off as a project car that has deteriorated beyond salvation. However, when you start to take a closer look it becomes apparent that things might not be as bad as those first impressions would seem to suggest. The body will require some substantial rust repairs, but this is a project car that has some real redeeming qualities. If you are the sort of person who relishes a restoration challenge, then you will find the Isetta located in Waterville, Ohio, and listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding on the BMW has been really spirited, and has pushed the price along to $3,550. At that figure, the reserve hasn’t been met, but in addition to the car receiving 44 bids up to this point, there are also 170 people who are currently watching the listing. That would seem to suggest that there are more than a few people who can see plenty of potential in this little car.

The years spent outside under a tarp haven’t done the body of the Isetta any real favors. It seems that the gentleman who has owned the vehicle for the past 28-years began a restoration about 8-years-ago, and dismantled the car to its current state. The removed components found their way into his workshop, but the body wasn’t so lucky. However, the rust that is present is largely confined to the floors, which are an easy item to replace on an Isetta. There might be some fabrication work required on the points where the body mounts to the frame, but beyond those few items, any further rust should be relatively straightforward to fix. Replacement parts to address the rust issues are very easy to find, and they are also surprisingly affordable. For instance, a full set of floors can be secured for around the $450 mark. The roof and drip rails are nice and solid, as is the door. It appears as though all of the external trim and chrome is present, although a fair percentage of this will require restoration. All of the glass is present, and this does look like it is in good condition.

The restoration process on the Isetta stalled pretty early, but not before the owner had the opportunity to revive the frame. It was already rust-free, but it was sandblasted and painted. However, the paint finish does look a bit rough in spots, so I would be inclined to repeat the process for my own peace of mind. It appears as though all of the brake lines and cables are attached to the frame, but I would also be tempted to replace these as a matter of course.

There is the beating heart of this beast, a 298cc single-cylinder engine that punches out a widow-making 13hp. Those rampant horses find their way to the rear wheels via a 4-speed manual transmission. Performance is all that you might expect, with a ¼ mile ET of 28 seconds. The owner states that the Isetta ran when parked, but given the fact that this was at least 8-years-ago, the engine will need a thorough check before it is returned to service. Still, these are a pretty uncomplicated motor, so even if it does require a rebuild, this is a straightforward process. The Isetta was sold in both left-hand and right-hand-drive markets, and thanks to an interesting quirk in the vehicle’s design, those sold in LHD markets actually possessed better performance and handling characteristics than their RHD counterparts. This was thanks to the fact that the engine was located on the right side of the vehicle. In an LHD version, the weight of the engine and the weight of the driver tended to cancel each other out during cornering. For the RHD market, both the driver and the engine were on the same side of the vehicle. In a car so light, this had a profound impact on handling. For those markets, the manufacturer attached a 60lb counterweight to the left side of the vehicle. This tended to reduce the handling issues, but in a car so light, it did also blunt performance slightly.

It isn’t clear just how much of the interior trim is present for the Isetta, but we do know that the seat is there, and by the looks of it, the cover is free from any rips or tears. The owner has given it a cursory wipe in one spot, and it looks like a thorough clean will yield some decent results. If the rest of the interior trim is missing this won’t present a huge drama, because everything is available quite readily, and it is also quite affordable.

The BMW Isetta 300 is a quirky little car, but it is one that sold in relatively decent quantities. A total of 161,728 Isettas found their way into garages across the globe, of which, 87,416 were the “300” variant. This one will require a full restoration, but even though there is rust that will need to be addressed, the fact that it is largely complete and has a solid frame is a great starting point. It is possible that the vast majority of the restoration work could be completed in a home workshop, and with nicely restored examples easily fetching figures in excess of $35,000, it would seem as though it could be well worth the effort.