Slashdot Mirror
Return of the Bubble Car? (reuters.com)
mikeebbbd writes: Back in the 1950s, many European carmakers (some of which are still in operation such as BMW) made tiny cars for one or 2 people that ran on tiny amount of gas. The remaining examples of bubble cars have become sort of a fetish. Now two Swiss brothers, according to Reuters, are trying to resurrect one of the more iconic designs -- the BMW Isetta. One wonders how it could meet any kind of safety standards, but a prototype is shown in the article. Perhaps it might be registered as a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle, which gets it by a few standards? Oliver and Merlin Ouboter have more than 7,200 orders for their Microlino, a modern version of the Isetta which swaps the old single-cylinder petrol engine for a 20 horsepower electric motor but keeps the famous front-opening door. The brothers, whose father Wim made millions from modernized kick-scooters, plan to launch the car in December. "The average modern car is way too big for normal use," said Oliver, the project's 24-year-old operations chief.
The original opened the whole chassis forwards and had no reverse gear. Presumably all the original drivers starved to death after driving into their garage.
Ever see a F150 get hit by a dump truck? That's why I drive one! My average Dump Truck is way bigger. Finding parking though is a bitch.
Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.