Photo: RM Auctions
We’ve seen many ultra-wild aftermarket creations wearing a BMW badge. Some of them brought shame to the brand, while others made it shine, but none of these was as extreme as the vehicle seen here. We are talking about a 1959 BMW Isetta, which has been takes as far from the original as possible and is set to go under the hammer at RM Auctions on February 16.
The one-off vehicle has kept its three-wheel configuration and most of its body, but the rest of the car is as different from the original as a 2013 NASCAR racer is from the series model. The car takes inspiration from a Hot Wheels model.
The vehicle’s frame has been elongated in order to allow the car to accomodate supercharged a Chevy 502 V8 that delivers 730 hp and is mated to a two-speed manual transmission. As for the stopping power, this comes courtesy of AP hardware.
This Frankenstein uses M3 suspension components and, in an effort to cope with all the power using just one wheel to send it to the road, a custom 18x13-inch rear wheel with a Sumitomo HTRZ II tire. As for the front wheels, these are wrapped in B.F. Goodrich G-Force rubber.
Dubbed 1959 BMW Isetta Whatta Drag, the vehicle is fully functional, but driving it on any kind of road and track is not recommended. Why? Let’s hear it in RM Auction’s words: “It is important to emphasize that this car is strictly for show and not to be used for road or track; the massive amount of torque produced by the Chevrolet 502 motor can be dangerous if driven improperly.”
If you feel like you belong in the cockpit of the insanity, or that it belongs in your garage, you have to know that it’s expected to fetch between $75,000 and $100,000 (€55,400 and €73,900).
Who knows, maybe someday we’ll get to see the aerodynamic package of an E30 M3 on a speedboat and we’ll have a new extreme Bimmer tuning champion.
The vehicle’s frame has been elongated in order to allow the car to accomodate supercharged a Chevy 502 V8 that delivers 730 hp and is mated to a two-speed manual transmission. As for the stopping power, this comes courtesy of AP hardware.
This Frankenstein uses M3 suspension components and, in an effort to cope with all the power using just one wheel to send it to the road, a custom 18x13-inch rear wheel with a Sumitomo HTRZ II tire. As for the front wheels, these are wrapped in B.F. Goodrich G-Force rubber.
Dubbed 1959 BMW Isetta Whatta Drag, the vehicle is fully functional, but driving it on any kind of road and track is not recommended. Why? Let’s hear it in RM Auction’s words: “It is important to emphasize that this car is strictly for show and not to be used for road or track; the massive amount of torque produced by the Chevrolet 502 motor can be dangerous if driven improperly.”
If you feel like you belong in the cockpit of the insanity, or that it belongs in your garage, you have to know that it’s expected to fetch between $75,000 and $100,000 (€55,400 and €73,900).
Who knows, maybe someday we’ll get to see the aerodynamic package of an E30 M3 on a speedboat and we’ll have a new extreme Bimmer tuning champion.
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