No one has ever confused the BMW Isetta with being an enjoyable car. An important one? Sure, it saved BMW after the war. A good car? Not really. However, one of the quirkiest and most fun things about the Isetta is its wheel count. Yes, I said wheel count because, unlike a normal car, it only has three wheels. While that might sound odd, three-wheeled cars aren’t actually that uncommon. There have been quite a few over the years and there’s one even still being sold (Morgan Three-Wheeler, if you’re asking). So what happens when you take the world’s most famous three-wheeled cars and pit them against each other in a drag race? You get this funny video from Carwow.
This test even starts off funny, just looking at the lineup of absurd vehicles. Most of them are quite old, as there really aren’t many three-wheeled cars anymore. Of course, the BMW Isetta is one of the cars. But there’s also the Peel P50 (of Top Gear fame), the Reliant Regal (the van version of the Reliant Robin, also of Top Gear fame), the iconic Tuk Tuk, and a Piaggio Ape. Most of the cars in the test have engines that would make lawn mowers feel strong. But which of the wheel-deficient weaklings is fastest?
It really doesn’t matter, does it? This video is not about which car is fastest, it’s really about watching five absurd little cars drag race incredibly slowly and comically. It’s a 15-wheeled joke and it’s genuinely a bunch of fun.
However, in the spirit of blogging, I’ll tell you that the Peel P50 did not win because it didn’t even race. Both times they attempted to race, the P50’s chain drive popped off within the first ten yards. So it never had the chance to actually partake. Also, the Tuk Tuk is surprisingly quick and the Reliant’s engine died at the end. So, all in all, a good, fun race.