These Harley-Davidson-Powered BMW Isetta Microcars Are Hot Wheels Legends Finalists
What’s 7.5 feet long, 4.5 feet wide, and shaped like a ladybug, posting a top speed of 53 miles per hour? It’s an Isetta, the Italian-designed microcar produced by BMW between 1955 and 1962. Now the quirky Isetta is a finalist on the Hot Wheels Legends tour in twin green builds as a Harley-Davidson-powered creation with a matching flatbed.
YouTuber, upholstery expert, and builder Mikey Brown of Paper to Pavement came up with this idea. He calls the first Isetta “Big Dill” and the flatbed hauler “The Pickle Jar,” ostensibly for its mint green finish. From his home shop in Deputy, Indiana, Brown designed and built the pickle-themed cars for the Legends tour, which celebrates local builders with car shows in the U.S. and around the world.
The Isetta set is a finalist from the Phoenix, Arizona show, and it will go up against the others for the ultimate prize: to be immortalized as a Hot Wheels diecast. Hot Wheels says its judges “evaluate all vehicle entrants and finalists on the criteria of creativity, authenticity and garage spirit.”
Following the “built, not bought” motto for the Legends tour, Brown started with a custom frame. According to Autoblog, he swapped out the meager single-cylinder engine with a Harley-Davidson-sourced 1.2-liter V-twin motorcycle engine. For the Isetta hauler, Brown managed to get a second body from Jerry Bellot, the owner of an auto shop in Port Arthur, Texas. Model A fenders adorn the back and Volkswagen Beetle fenders and lights give the front end a character look.
More than 10,000 cars were entered in last year’s Hot Wheels Legends Tour, and parent company Mattel expects even more in 2023. Next stop is the Mobil 1 Rally and Legends Fest on October 7 in El Segundo, California, and if the Isetta does well in judging it will go to the Global Semi Final on November 2 and the Global Grand Finale on November 11.
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