What used to be important - the turning circle
03/16/2017
Today you hardly read about it anymore, neither in sales brochures nor in car advertising. The "turning circle" has obviously lost its significance. Yet it says a lot about how easy and pleasant it is to maneuver a car in big cities and parking garages, which are still tight today.
It is well known that there were some turning circle kings, such as the Triumph Spitfire. The BMW Isetta was also one of those that could be turned in a small space. A short wheelbase and non-driven wheels enable smaller turning circles, while today's predominant front-wheel (or all-wheel) drive and long wheelbases make the task more difficult. However, tight turning circles would still be a blessing today, and it is no wonder that some car manufacturers help out by providing slightly steering rear wheels. Nevertheless, a picture like the one shown in the BMW Isetta sales brochure is unlikely to make it into sales literature today, if only because the man (or woman) on the street no longer has any idea what a reasonably large turning circle should actually be.
While we're on the subject of the BMW brochure , there was another illustration that caught our eye. It shows a woman in an Isetta encountering a chimney sweep on an airfield! How did the BMW advertising strategists come up with this idea?
We recently published more about the BMW Isetta in a driving report.
