Odd cars draw a crowd at Concours

By Christian Gaston

The Forest Grove News-Times, Jul 23, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Chase Allgood / News-Times

Phillip Richardson of Canby discusses his 1956 BMW Isetta with a crowd of onlookers at the 36th Concours d’Elegance in Forest Grove.

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“It’s been a crowd all day,” said Phil Richardson, of Canby, while showing off his cherry red (and cherry condition) BMW Isetta. “I’ve been wanting to go to the restroom for the past two hours.”

The tiny four-wheeled bubble car turned heads all over, Richardson said. Even though he entered the Forest Grove Concours d’Elegance too late to be judged, he was happy to share his restoration stories.

While top honors from the judges went to a beautiful 1929 Alfa Romeo Super Sport, crowds formed around the show’s less traditional rides.

Dave Helms’ Batmobile replica made a big splash, with kids excitedly jumping behind the wheel and picking up the batphone with glee.

And a three-wheeled German bubble car brought by Mark Hatten, of Portland, drew as many questions and ogles as Richardson’s tiny car. One passerby suggested a drag race between the two men.

Richardson said he’s used to the attention. He’s been showing his Isetta long enough to rack up a series of first-place finishes and a cache of one-liners.

“You’re sitting in a bar, it’s around 2 o’clock and you sidle up to that girl and say, 'how would you like to take a ride in my Beemer?'” Richardson said. “It goes well until she gets to the parking lot.”

Richardson has owned the little car for the past 46 years. He’s the second owner. That’s part of why the car usually takes top honors – almost everything on the car is original.

The single-cylinder car has a swinging door on the front that allows access to the passenger compartment.

Once inside, the truly mint condition of the car pops. The original cargo net is still slung behind the seat. Richardson has the original log book and owner’s manual.

While Richardson rebuilt and cleaned the engine, the only major restoration work he’s done was to give the car a fresh coat of paint.

For years the Isetta sat in Richardson’s workshop, protected from the elements.

When he finally pulled the car from storage, the paint was dull and wouldn’t buff, so Richardson took the chassis off the frame and got to work. Removing the chassis from any other BMW would be a mean feat, but the Isetta was designed to be easily disassembled.

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