This 1958 BMW 600 is the longer wheel base version featuring additional seating inside, capable of carrying four adults. While the more compact Isetta is the one that gets all the glory, the 600 series always struck me as a much more practical option if you needed to own a microcar. This example is listed with minimal information, but the condition appears decent for a project that has resided in climates accustomed to regular snowfall. The seller references over $2,000 in new and rebuilt parts, but doesn’t specify what they include. Find it here on craigslist for $9,450.
Thanks to Barn Finds reader Pat L. for the find. I’ve always thought the 600 made a lot more sense than the Isetta, from the better proportions to the additional side door to the ability to simply haul more passengers. That being said, my opinion didn’t matter much for translating to actual sales, as the 600 simply was not a runaway success. This isn’t particularly surprising, since other economy cars of the day could haul similar amounts of people and cargo (actually, way more cargo) without looking so goofy. The body on this example appears to be reasonably sound.
The interior still reflects the use of the front door that swings open to allow front passenger access, but is accompanied by the aforementioned passenger-side rear door for rear seat access. The seller doesn’t include enough photos of the interior to really assess how complete it is, aside from a picture of a bench seat that shows a fair amount of water staining. The front door does swing open as intended, and the door frame doesn’t reveal any significant corrosion. The red paint scheme also carries over to the door jambs which hopefully indicates the 600 is still wearing some of its original paint.
The engine is said to be non-running but still turning over freely; the seller feels it won’t take much to get it running again. The curious aspect of the listing is the reference to the $2,000 in new/rebuilt parts – what’s unknown is whether those components have been installed, or they are simply sitting in boxes awaiting installation. The photos do show boxes in the interior and engine compartment, so I suspect it’s the latter scenario, but for an asking price of $9,450, I’d expect at least some of those components to be in use. Would you pay near $10,000 for a project-grade 600?
I’m an easy mark when it comes to these. Some years ago, I put some mileage on one — with a third occupant in the rear seat, no less — and thoroughly enjoyed it. Already familiar with the Isetta 300, I was pleasantly surprised by how much fun could be had in this slightly larger package. The 600 was slightly smoother (two cylinders versus one and, of course, the longer wheelbase) and more powerful (19 versus 13).
All that said, and notwithstanding my wish to have both a 300 and 600 to play with, I think the seller may have been watching too many televised auctions, or looking at too many ads for restored examples. I’m not really sure what parts availability is like these days, but I see some items that, if not already among the extras the seller has acquired, will likely be a headache to source, such as the plastic dash cap. I’ve seen more than one “restored” 600 with a cracked dash….
However, if the price can be negotiated downward (for me, it would have to be WAY downward), this could be a great project. Not a moneymaker, I don’t think, but something to make both occupants and onlookers smile!
the seller is delusional if he thinks that restoration project is worth nearly $10M.
If the floors are solid and doesn’t need a complete floor pan, one might be better off buying this than a $3K project that needs a complete floor. Ask me how I know…
These always struck me as absurd little toys. Very golf cart like, just with doors. Might be fun to have, unfortunately the seller has an equally absurd price tag, especially for a roller. JMO.
Pass
Steve Urkels family car.📺
Who is he?
Oh sorry “did i do that” annoying question? 😜
I remember back in the day drag
racing one of these against a kid In a big wheel and winning by a half a length 😉
Okay enough kidding….This would Be a great 🤡 car 💡😂
Instead of Isetta, it’s a WE-setta.
I’ll see your Smart car, and raise you two doors!
Is a little known fact that you could get 14 Shriner Clowns as an option. Lot of folks don’t know that.
Where’s the engine? Did you see an engine?
I restored 1 600 and 1 300 so free advice. The final drive connection to the wheels is a flexible rubber “spider” identical to that used on a Lotus Elan, and the throttle linkage is identical to that on a Harley Hog. But performance doesn’t even come close to either.
Make a great Uber car.
These cars run like sewing machines, with nearly as much power! OK, enough jokes. I’d LOVE to drive this car… from my living room to the bathroom!
Nope. its 6 inches short of Limo Length
No where near a ‘limo’, these were the for runner of today’s ‘people movers’, just so long as you didn’t have too many people to move all in one go !
Sweet looking car. I regret that I’ve never seen a BMW 600, but I’ve seen pics of them. They look more fun and practical to drive than the Isetta. Assuming parts are available, I can see this being a fun restoration project, or possibly a restomod. I think $10,000 is a tad too expensive, given its condition. I’d pay up to $5,000 and then have a mechanic look at it, and then a body shoppe look at it, make sure the body and chassis is solid, with no serious rust holes.
Drop an R90S in it and scare yourself silly?
I READ the words “a much more practical option”..I am concerned enough to check the dictionary as I THOUGHT I knew what the word “practical” meant…And..I was right, this ain’t it……
OK!! FULL disclosure! I saw it and went “YES!” It is a birth year car so that box is ticked. I’m a BMW Bike guy so that a plus..AND it has more room in it than the 300 so packing travel items larger than a stubby pencil is possible. Repair it mechanically, paint it day-glo green (for safety) and drive it across the US on back roads just to prove a point (which may be used for my committal)
THEN I SAW THE PRICE…
Ok..wow..ummm no….no…….no…
I have seen exactly ONE of these, and it was moving down a road I was standing beside, so all that I got from it was a jolt of happy surprise. It was November of 1960, I was in Boulder, CO in transit to McCord AFB for assignment to Alaska, and the guy I was riding with was out for the day on a date, leaving me to wander the fringes of a boring town … and suddenly there was THIS, only new and shiny, and it had two adults in front and two kids in back, just like you’d see in an ad! It was scooting down the road pretty well, too …
Re: luggage capacity: The year before this I was with a church youth group touring the Smokies, and while parked for a break one day we beheld an Isetta 300, also zipping smartly down the road. Two adults were inside, and all of the roof area and a good bit of the back was smothered by a canvas-wrapped, heavily rope-bound bundle of the occupants’ belongings, a parcel only slightly smaller than the car. Hey, where there’s a will … !
Like it,
very much but 4
condition,
price,
prts availability.
Cars like this come and go in the market. My wife had a friendly BMW mechanic from whom she had bought several 2002s. When her last one got hit by a stop-sign runner (a breed endemic to Nashville), he refused to find her another ’02 and suggested a 3-series instead. She told him what she thought of those Yuppiemobiles and wound up buying an Alfa Milano instead.
Still, he had a sense of the market, and at the time had found and restored at least three Isettas, the sale of any of which would have put a kid through college.
I should’ve bought a semi-trailer full of these, the more common 300’s…with a few Messers thrown in, when I was stationed in Germany. And immediately shipped them back. It was a blast seeing all the tiny yet very practical “city” cars. The only one I actually bought was a Fiat 500 of ’57 vintage. It was fantastic !
10 years ago, I drove a 600 BMW. It was quite difficult to just go straight!