It helps to see other projects where the seller has convinced himself that “rarity” constitutes a major investment of time and money. I fall into this trap easily, where I take into account how many are left of a given vehicle and then plunge head-long into a painful restoration. That being said, nothing I’ve taken on has been as roached out as this 1957 BMW Isetta 600 limo here on eBay with an opening bid of $4,499 and no action yet.
Now, I do get that the Isetta in the longer wheelbase form is more valuable that its ultra-compact sibling. The additional doors also make this microcar far more practical to use, so if you’re like me and realizing project cars are more fun with your family along for the ride, the extra seats are worth it. However, there’s a definite financial ceiling with these Isettas, so restoring it will be a true labor of love.
The interior is downright depressing, with the floor rotten in multiple places. The body is also quite rough, and the front/rear glass and interior is missing. The seller references that this could be a parts car, but I’m not sure what’s even possible to salvage. The side glass may be valuable to a restorer, especially since the longer body is harder to come by, possibly making custom-sized windows a desirable item on this otherwise trashed 600.
Interestingly, the twin cylinder motor is an original unit that the seller claims was rebuilt not too long ago. It’s the most optimistic part of the listing, being described as “…ready to go.” That being said, the question remains whether you’d put it back into this forlorn 600 limo. Would you restore or part out?
Rare? Well, BMW only made about 35,000 of them….
I know restored or complete-but-tired 600s can bring pretty decent money. And they should: they’re fun to drive, real attention-getters, don’t take up much room in the garage, and are not all that difficult to work on. While carting two other people around in one, I was pleasantly surprised that it had enough zip to keep up with city traffic. It was no rocket sled, but managed.
Being a weird guy who, finances and space permitting, would love to own both a BMW Isetta and a 600 (not to mention a Heinkel and Messerschmitt), I hate to see one so terribly deteriorated. I’d go after one of the other 34,999. This 600 is history….
Ray, they made 35,000 600 limos or 35,000 Isettas overall?
My understanding is that 35K BMW 600s were made in total, Jeff.
I have never heard of a “limousine” model, and this one looks very much like the rest — as far as one can tell given its condition — to me. One 300-style front door, one side door.
Also note that the Germans use “limousine” in a slightly different way. At least in its early years, the VW Beetle convertible was referred to (officially, I believe) as a “Kabrio-limousine.”
So I’d need to see some evidence of it being some kind of special model before I’d assign this one some special place in BMW history. I’ve been wrong before….
Perhaps I should clarify my train of thought: they are rare in the U.S., at least, which has always been my perception. Per this Hemmings article, only 200 or so in the country: https://www.hemmings.com/magazine/hsx/2012/11/Ahead-of-Schedule—1959-BMW-600-Limousine/3718311.html
Agree/disagree? I don’t know as much about these as I’d like, but I thought they were far less common on our shores than the shorter body.
I think (or at least I interpret the Hemmings article as saying) there are less than 200 in the USA at the present time. BMW didn’t flood the country with them, but I think it’s safe to say that maybe 5-10% of the 35,000 we imported here back in the day. That’s a guess. I never found out how many came in the country. Nor, for that matter, did I ever learn how many 300s were shipped over, and I did more actual research on those.
Certainly, they didn’t fare well, just like the 300s. Owners — especially second and third owners — tended to beat the daylights out of them, ignore rust when it started to form, and dump them behind the garage when they broke. That happened to a lot of the European “economy” cars from that time.
BTW, Jeff, note that the 600 in the article is also called a “limousine.” As I said before, the word means something different to the Germans….
I’m sure you’ve felt twinges of regret when you passed up cheap cars that later turned out to be classics. Wait ’til you get to be my age! I did turn down a pretty decent 300 for very little money once. And bought a Frogeye Sprite for $75 which I drove for a couple of years before selling it for $100. And, and, and, and….
“Limousine” is simply the German word for “sedan,” although in comparison to the Isetta 250/300, the 600 certainly qualifies as a stretch job!
Air in tires…check.
When i was a kid a neighbour had three garages. They were packed floor to ceiling with Issetas and messerschmitts including rare versions and parts, including many new parts. He had over 20, most in great shape. Not sure if there was a limo in there as too long ago but very likely.
The parts collection was something else too. Every orrifice had something stuff in it.
I often wonder what happened to it all.
Guy was in his 70’s 30 years ago ..
” My new boss said they will pick me up in a limo”,,,
Rebuilt the motor, why?
Might be worth the money if it were the 700cc coupe….one of those was raced by Mark Donohue before Penske hired him. Tiny little cars that could be driven very quickly for the time. The 600 and 700 engines were variants of the BMW opposed twin motorcycle engine. A friend had a 700 engine in a roadracing sidecar outfit.
No, it is not more valuable than the smaller sister. The Isetta has all the charming, the enthusiasm, and the bigger 600 lacks of both.
In any case, this is a parts (few) car.