When we bought our Isetta our friends were astonished ! By 1978 bubblecars had
long ago disappeared from the conventional scene and had faded from the memory
of the population . They were never , ever seen on UK roads - but I remembered them
from my teenage years and I wanted one !
First , I convinced Carol that it would be a good idea to have a small , economical
second car . Then I convinced her that an older car wouldn't lose its value , and
might even appreciate , given time . Then I suggested that a bubblecar would be just
right ! She thought I'd flipped . But although apprehensive , she eventually agreed -
she was sure I wouldn't find one , anyway . She thought that by this time , in the mid-
70's , they would surely have been scrapped , dismantled , broken , trashed , junked .
In 1979 we took Funky Jimmy to his first ever event - he attracted a lot of attention ,
particularly from the children - they had never before seen a bubblecar , and were
fascinated by the front-opening door . At this event we met some other local
enthusiasts , who were restoring a Bond , a Messerschmitt and a Scootacar . We
became a band of Microcar enthusiasts , appearing often at North of England events .
We continued even after our son Michael was born , and our Isetta has since made
many trips abroad , carrying the three of us , plus camping equipment .
Wee Jimmy's first major showing was at the 1992 National Rally in England and I was
amazed at the response . I was overwhelmed with requests to produce replicas for
other enthusiasts - a Swedish visitor even suggested that we would soon be having
races for them , if only I would make more . I had only made our model for my son
and myself to enjoy and had not anticipated such demand , but having contemplated
the idea for a while I agreed . I refined the model , added more detail , corrected
some aspects which I thought warranted attention , and by the following year was
able to offer Isetta models ( Wee-settas ) to other enthusiasts .
Then my Messerschmitt pals began to demand models of their cars , so using my 1958
KR200 Cabrio as a reference I developed KR200 models .
I called them Lesserschmitts . Then came BMW 600s and BMW 700s , each introduced
on the anniversary of the real cars introduction .
Whenever we were in a parade or
simply driving round a rally field ,
Michael sat with me in Funky Jimmy
using the transmitter to "drive" Wee
Jimmy ahead of us . I wish I had
shares in Kodak ! I've seen people
with cameras and cam-corders
falling over themselves in their rush
to get a shot of the "baby" leading its
"Mom" .
So what started as an experiment has developed into
an interest which has introduced our family to fellow
enthusiasts from all over the world . We now have
friends throughout Europe and in Scandinavia , USA
and Canada , Costa Rica , South America , South
Africa , Australia and even Japan .
What does the future hold ? There are several
other models of small cars which I would like to
make , including those featured on the "What's
next?" page . Maybe your favourite will be next !
Cheers !
Carol and I have been married since 1976 .
We've had our Isetta since 1978 .
Our son , Michael , was born in 1983 .
So our Isetta is part of our family .
It's got a name , of course -- Funky Jimmy .
We have now owned and treasured that
same car for over 30 years .
But I didn't give up - and in September 1978 I found one !
A 1959 left-hand-drive three-wheeler .
It didn't run but that didn't matter . We bought it
and I made it run . Then I made it reliable ,
and soon it was taking us on journeys around the
village , much to the amusement of the local kids ,
and the smiles of the grown-ups . It was the start of
a relationship that continues even today , and
though other microcars have been through
my hands and then left me for new homes ,
the Isetta which I originally bought is still
a treasure which is still with our family .