The NEC Classic Motor Show Sale 11th - 13th November 2022

57 + buyers premium of 12.5% plus VAT (15% incl VAT) on the first £300,000 of the hammer and 10% plus VAT (12% incl VAT) thereafter Lot 649 1957 BMW Isetta 600 (700) Ex-Sir Stirling Moss OBE Registration: BGC 408G Chassis No.: 126922 Estimate: £50,000 - £60,000 The stunningly presented BMW Isetta on offer here is the only one of 600 models and enjoys some remarkable provenance. It was delivered new to Sweden where it spent the first years of its life before arriving in the UK and subsequently being purchased by the late Sir Stirling Moss at a Beaulieu auction. It was in a rather sorry state and Sir Stirling set about a restoration with the help and assistance of his chosen Isetta specialist. Well known for his love of gadgets, innovation and experimentation (the majority of his road cars were tweaked and improved), Stirling decided that the 600 would benefit from a bit more power and, with his legendary charisma, talked BMW into parting with a 700 engine (an enlarged version of the flat-twin used in the R67 motorcycle offering 697cc and over 30bhp) which was duly slotted in to the little Isetta. There is a letter in the accompanying history file from Stirling to the next owner confirming he asked BMW to help him with the engine. When the rebuild was complete, Stirling used the car around London and his son, Elliot, learned how to drive in this very car as you can see in the accompanying photographs. Subsequently, BGC 408G was sold but it appears that it may have been lightly used and perhaps, poorly stored as, when it was acquired by our vendor around 10 years ago, it wasn’t in the best of condition. As recently as ten years ago Sir Stirling Moss was still a household name and our vendor was determined to return this unique Isetta to its sparkling best so, not long after his purchase, he commenced a ‘nut and bolt’ restoration having stripped the car back to bare metal. Naturally, during the initial restoration, Sir Stirling had specified his choice of exterior colour and trim along with a number of detailed modifications and our vendor was keen to recreate those in order to present the car as it was during Sir Stirling’s ownership. The work was done ‘in house’ as the seller enjoys the resources and capability of his race team. The restoration finished in the summer of 2021 and we understand that over £30,000 has been invested over the years which we wouldn’t doubt given the sheer quality of the result. Once the restoration was finished, the Isetta was included in the Sir Stirling Moss parade at the 2021 Goodwood Revival as a tribute to the great man and, in 2022, the car featured in an ITV television show called ‘The Car Years’ in which it was selected to argue the case for the best city car in 1957 against a rival Fiat 500. All told, this is rare and special car in its own right that’s had an enormous amount of money spent on it in order to get it to its current condition and, combined with the fact it was owned by Sir Stirling Moss OBE, one of the greatest Grand Prix drivers of all time, a world wide sporting personality and undoubtedly a true British icon, this is an exciting opportunity to own probably the most famous Isetta on the market today. Rebuilt, personalised and fitted with a BMW 700 engine by Sir Stirling Moss. This is an exciting opportunity to own probably the most famous Isetta on the market today. More Details Lot 649 Bid On Lot 649