Steve Urkel Car - A Collectible Classic

There is no good or rational reason to get a Steve Urkel car – a BMW Isetta 300.

It isn’t the most convenient personal transport as it’s basically a fishbowl. However, if you can overlook the fact that you enter through the front door, driving a Family Matters Steve Urkel car is a lot of fun.

In the 1950s, when BMW was struggling. Most of its vehicles were prewar models that couldn’t compete on the market so it took a very bold step of making a silly-looking car – the idea of Iso Autoveicoli S.p.A. The Italian company used to make refrigerators but later branched out to light delivery vehicles, motorcycles, and scooters.

The Steve Urkel car was small, so Isetta, a diminutive of Iso seemed to be an appropriate name at the time. And if you haven’t noticed, the way the driver enters through the front door does remind some people of how a refrigerator door opens.

However, BMW does enhance the original design of the Urkel car in many ways. What it did make the car a real hit – it ran for eight model years and even had a successor.  The single-cylinder 300 turned into the twin-cylinder Isetta 600 which, in turn, served as the BMW 700’s underpinning.

The Steve Urkel car was especially successful in the UK, prompting the launch of the Mini as a response.

The car is lovely and beautiful and its overall look is far from cheap. In reality, the price of a restored BMW Isetta 300 is quite high nowadays.

Driving a Steve Urkel car is a unique experience when you get used to the upside-down shift pattern – you shift with the left hand and the first gear is right and down. Once you enter the car, the steering wheel will present itself to you.

The front seat offers visibility, both for the driver looking out and other people from outside looking in.

The Steve Urkel car has no gas gauge but if you run out of fuel, there is a reserve tank onboard. However, running out if gas is highly unlikely as the tank can fuel you for 321 km (200 miles).

Since the Isetta is light, the small motor has no issue propelling it. But if you have to share the road with larger cars, you will definitely feel intimidated. Users often describe the experience as driving a lawnmower rather than a Volkswagen Beetle.

Making U-turns and cornering the car is a fun experience but there is not much suspension travel.

If you are self-conscious, there is no rational reason to get a Steve Urkel car besides having fun and seeing people’s smiles. It’s true that this car might attract a lot more attention than a Lamborghini does and some people might even want to take pictures of it. Some even remember that this was the car Steve Urkel drove in ‘Family Matter.’

So if you don’t mind being associated with the word ‘nerd,’ the Isetta is a great choice for a car. You can actually go places if you are outgoing and brave enough.

And as the electric automobile trend is gaining momentum, in 2016, a company tried to resurrect Steve Urkel car and make it runs on electricity.

The Microlino bases in Switzerland and according to Wired, it comes from the country’s Micro Mobility Systems. Microlino offers personal vehicles with prices ranging between $9,000 and $13,500.

Steve Urkel car production was scheduled for 2018. The electric version runs on a 15-kilowatt electric motor and can reach a speed of 62 MPH. The car draws power from an 11-kWh lithium-ion battery and with a single charge, it can cover a distance from 60 miles (96km) to 75 miles (120 km).

Of course, this car can’t compete with other electric cars on the market but if you want something totally different, this is your chance.

>>> 135,000 Tesla Cars Recalled Because Of Faulty Flash Memory