Bubble Car

Bubble cars are the small and economical cars which were launched in the 1950s and 1960s. They were mostly three-wheelers and for tax and licensing purposes were considered as motorcycles. They could normally seat only the driver and a single passenger. As the fuel prices and demand for low-priced automobiles rose, these cars became very famous in Europe during the Suez Crisis (1956). Majority of these cars were manufactured in Germany. They were manufactured by former German military aircraft manufacturers like Messerschmitt and Heinkel. One of the most iconic and successful bubble cars was the BMW's Isetta. Similar ones were made in France. These were called ‘voiturettes’ and were rarely sold abroad.

Cars like Messerschmitt KR175, KR200 and TG500 had aircraft-style bubble canopies, giving rise to the term bubble car. This term was later used for all the micro cars during the post-war period. These cars were popular because they could be parked perpendicularly where other cars parked parallel; they could be lifted by hand and they required lesser fuel. European bubble car designs were known to be unorthodox and sometimes bizarre. BMW’s Isetta had a unique egg shape and bubble-like windows. The British Isetta had a right-hand drive with the door hinged from the right hand side of the car. Also it had the steering column moved across to the right.