Project Car Hell, BMW Edition: Isetta Or Grab Bag?
Our readership hath decreed that the as-yet-unidentified Jalop writer who just bought a '64 Continental shall rip out the MEL 462 and swap in a turbocharged 460 in its stead, with that option taking a whopping 41% of the total votes. We're disappointed that the Lord Humungus Apocalypto-Mobile option fared so poorly, of course, but voice of the people and all that. Anyway, it's a new week, which means new varieties of eternal wrenching torment. Since we've been on a BMW thing lately, it's time for a couple of BMW projects. Actually, a grand total of four BMW projects!
Everyone loves the BMW Isetta, and rightfully so! Just the crazy front-mounted door setup is enough, of course, but then there's the rear-mounted air-cooled motorcycle engine just piling on coolness points to form a huge ziggurat of awesomeness. Of course, the hot ticket was the big Isetta, the 600, which featured double the cylinders and an improved suspension, and this '59 is a fine example of the breed. Priced at a cheapskate-ish $9980, this car does need the application of some time and money. The seller claims it's practically a slam-dunk to get this baby in top shape, though of course the engine doesn't quite run (though in the seller's idiosyncratically capitalized, spelled, and arranged words, the "Transmition have been Cleaned and Tested and passed with Great Results"). But hey, he or she "just Saw one on Ebay in Really Poor Condition with a Large Dent in the roof and Rear Ended and Major Rust problems and it sold for $7600 with lots of Bids," so you're really getting a steal. Quick, buy This Great motor Vehicle!
Whoa, hold on, don't pull the trigger on the Isetta quite yet- we just spotted this über-steal on a trio of project BMWs! Yes, for a hair less than half the price of the Isetta, you can be the proud owner of a '73 3.0 sedan and a pair of mid-80s 6 series cars. It's a shame the seller can't be more specific about stuff like year, make, and model, especially given that the photograph was apparently taken on a pinhole camera inside a dirty Ziploc bag. It goes without saying that we get no mention of mechanical condition, paperwork, etc. And it's certainly possible that the rainy Seattle climate has caused a few downgrades in body and interior quality, since these cars have probably been sitting since the Carburetor Era. But hey, maybe all three will fire right up and drive like precision German creampuffs, eh? Sure!
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