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 !
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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 .
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