The story of the BMW 600

The 600 was an evolution of the Isetta and it was the car that was supposed to save BMW. But instead it pushed the company further into the red.
BMW hoped to sell 400,000 examples of the 600 each year but fewer than 35,000 were made in a relatively short production run because this compact four-seater was too expensive relative to its rivals.
This film accompanies an article on the Below The Radar website which you can find at www.below-the-radar.com.

[@iana6713]

What a curious thing - for something so small, it is cleverly packaged and I like the design of it.

[@chinabluewho]

Thank you for not stretching a five minute video into ten minutes and not begging for 'likes and subs' , nice to see some integrity on youtube once and a while.
Although no one likes ten second intros to youtube videos you did a very good job with this video, my only real compliant with the video is that focus on UK history of the car and not more of a global one.

[@BelowtheRadarCars]

Thanks for your message - I also hate videos spun out to 10 minutes for no good reason, and constant begging to like and share. So I'm avoiding these things at all costs!

[@johnwade5747]

Good job!

[@AL_THOMAS]

I love this!

[@paulchamberlain6284]

Having had an Isetta bubble car as my first car, this was fascinating.

[@IsettaClub1977]

Thanks to a friendly employee of BMW who carefully checked the shipping documentation concerning all BMW 600s, the contemporary delivery books revealed that exactly 34 cars of this type were exported to the UK between 13th January, 1958 and 6th May, 1959.
Rumour has it that one single example of a right-hand drive BMW 600 was made for test purposes on behalf of Captain Ashley who at that time headed the BMW-licensed Isetta production facility in Brighton, but the RHD 600 never went into production as it would have made the car even more expensive and the car body was narrow anyway, so a RHD version was finally regarded as being dispensable.
Kind regards,
Ralf Heiligtag
Isetta Club Germany

[@BelowtheRadarCars]

Thank you very much for that extra bit of information. Usually the biggest problem with putting these videos together is talking about sales and production figures (including UK imports), because nobody can ever agree on the correct numbers!

[@928HOLBORN]

GREAT VIDEO! Would I be able to get a copy of this video to display next to our 600?

[@BelowtheRadarCars]

Sure - send an email to [e-mail] and I'll send the video to you via wetransfer

[@KD7ETH]

Looks like a car that I'd want.

[@ralfhaggstrom9862]

When I was young, one of those was used in my neighborhood.

[@noahevans-mcleod4772]

“I have a classic BMW convertible”

[@johnfaulkner6776]

I had an Issetta! I swapped it for a Ford 100e. Wish I hadn't!

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Another one that I had only seen before in a book, don't think that I have ever come across one in real life. Certainly the sort of thing Ian Seabrook would like....

[@BelowtheRadarCars]

There are hardly any in the UK, although I did see three together at the National Microcar Rally once...

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@BelowtheRadarCars , didn't Ian Seabrook film a video where he attended that rally once?

[@BelowtheRadarCars]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting Yes - I think he went to the microcar rally once

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@BelowtheRadarCars , glad my memory is working correctly for once!

[@Gee4747]

The cars that saved BMW

[@jamesmylife6578]

I think it was the 250,300 that really saved them.

[@franklehmann8271]

Wonderfull presenting of german little car history, thank you very much,. Only i think, better you don´t drive to long on left side on german`s streets! Thank you - and forgive me!!!!