This Man Was the Biggest Nonconformist In Texas

by Steph Willems

Published: June 25th, 2016

this man was the biggest nonconformist in texas

One of these things is really not like the other.

While perusing an archive of historic Texas highway photos the other day (hey, when you’re single…), something popped up that I felt needed to be shared. In a 1962 image of Houston’s Southwest Freeway (US 59 South), standing out like a three-bean salad at a rib cook-off, was a wonderful automotive oddity.

When we pan out, you’ll see what this daring (and economical) driver had to deal with during his daily commute.

Amid a sea of Big Three iron, this man cooled his heels in a BMW 600, the largest of the postwar “bubble cars” that emerged from a recovering Europe. Tiny, underpowered and unsafe, these wheeled eggs were often the only motorized (and enclosed) transportation a European could afford to buy.

The BMW 600 was essentially a stretched version of the Isetta — easily the most recognizable of the bubble cars, and the object of much taunting by owners of conventional vehicle. Produced in four countries by four different automakers, the Isetta didn’t have a backseat, and couldn’t keep up with freeway traffic in the Land of the Free.

Enter the 600, which borrowed the Isetta’s front door and front suspension, but rode atop a longer frame, with a ballsier rear-mounted engine. That’s right, the 600’s 582 cubic centimeter flat-twin engine cranked out a pavement-rumbling 19.5 horsepower. Top speed? About 62 miles per hour.

As we can see here, the 600 wasn’t as spartan as the Isetta. Just look at the fabric sunroof this motorist is using to off-gas his body’s moisture (and who knows what else). And check out those…bumpers.

Unlike this motorist, sales weren’t scorching hot, and production ended in 1959 after a two-year model run. The 600 was the kick BMW needed to get its act together and market world-class sport sedans, not cheap economy cars.

It’s hard to imagine what compelled this Texan to enter the V8-powered, drum-braked gauntlet with a three- to five-year-old German bubble car. Look around him — you can’t tell me there wasn’t a used Ford, Chevrolet or Plymouth in his price range. Who knows, maybe he was from Austin.

The world loves a nonconformist.

[Image: Houston Chronicle Archives, via www.texasfreeway.com]

#BMW600 #BMWIsetta #History #Tesas

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2 of 91 comments

Testacles Megalos on Jun 29, 2016

"who knows, maybe he was from Austin" ...or Montrose or The Heights. A decade ago I used to daily ride my bike over 59 on the way to and from work, and thanked any available gods that I didn't have to sit in that sweltering trench.

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Stef Schrader on Jun 29, 2016

! My mom had one of these, just in north Texas, not Houston. Isettas FTW!

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Recent Comments

1995 SC The sad thing is GM tends to kill cars when they get them right, so this was probably a pretty good car
Mason Had this identical car as a 17 year old in the late 90's. What a ball of fun, one of many I wish I still had.
FinnEss At my age, sedans are difficult to get into without much neck and hip adjustment.I apologize sincerely but that is just the way it is. A truck is my ride of choice.Pronto
Ajla The market for sedans is weaker than it once was but I think some of you are way overstating the situation and I disagree that the sales numbers show sedans are some niche thing that full line manufacturers should ignore. There are still a sizeable amount of sales. This isn't sports car volume. So far this year the Camry and Civic are selling in the top 10, with the Corolla in 11 and the Accord, Sentra, and Model 3 in the top 20. And sedan volume is off it's nadir from a few years ago with many showing decent growth over the last two years, growth that is outpacing utilities. Cancelling all sedans now seems more of an error than back when Ford did it.
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