4 microcars you won't believe existed

If you think some of the small cars we have on our roads now are small, they look positively huge compared to these four classic microcars! Although they look snug and retro, driving around in them would have surely been uncomfortable and a little unsafe, to say the least!

Isetta

By Bob Adams from George, South Africa - 1955 BMW Isetta 300, CC BY-SA 2.0, Link

This tiny car was commonly known as the bubble car. Italian-designed, this microcar was vivid in colour and became a stylish car of the 50s and 60s. Looking at the car you might wonder how you'd actually get into it. The answer? Through the front-opening door, of course.

You can see the bubble car at classic car events but sadly they are no longer road-legal – it is easy to see why, though!

Peel Trident

By Philip (flip) Kromer from Austin, TX - Philip (flip) Kromer from Austin, TX, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

Not looking like a real car at all, the Peel Trident doesn’t look too dissimilar to the flying car in the 1960s cartoon ‘The Jetsons’. Aside from looking like a hovercraft, this car is wildly impractical when it comes to entering and exiting the car itself. Don’t spot a door? You’d be correct, the entire transparent bubble lifts on its hinges, allowing the driver to climb aboard!

Messerschmitt KR200

By Gjermundsen - Own work, Public Domain, Link

The Messerschmitt KR200 microcar is better-equipped for road driving. Fitted with shock absorbers and offer the driver the chance to reverse, this model trumped the previous one easily.

Peel P50

By John Dalton - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

This car is equipped with a small door, so you can at least get in and out with relative ease – unless you’re over or close to 6 feet, in which case, it’s a bit tight. With its single headlamp and little windscreen wiper, the car was never taken seriously.