7 October 2019

The BMW Isetta was only two metres and thirty centimetres long. Two passengers just fitted into the microcar, but could you really find space to conceal an additional fully-grown man? This was precisely the idea of Klaus-Günter Jacobi (79), who modified his BMW Isetta in 1963 so that his best friend could be hidden there and smuggled across the Berlin Wall to the West. Today, Jacobi leads tours for visitors at the Wall Museum on Friedrichstraße, Berlin. The museum features a BMW Isetta which was modified in accordance with Jacobi’s plans, and used to help eight other people escape from East Germany and gain their freedom. The film entitled “The Small Escape” premiered on 3 October 2019 – German Unity Day – retells this exciting story. A great deal of trouble was taken to re-create the escape in Budapest and the short film can be seen in a number of portals including YouTube. The story of the diminutive escape agent is also being honoured with a special exhibition, which will run at the BMW Museum in Munich from 29 October 2019 until 8 March 2020.

Superbike legend Troy Corser and the supercharged BMW R57 Compressor from 1929 are a virtually unbeatable combination – the Australian has just provided yet another demonstration of this at the Wheels & Waves Festival in Biarritz. Corser’s spectacular assault on Punk’s Peak in the hillclimb race can be viewed on the YouTube channel of BMW Group Classic, and soon there will be lots more to see. More professional clips of Classic events in the new category “Our Passion. Our Adventures”, new films in the series “Our Brands. Our Stories”, and finally an entire new series. For now, we are only going to let you into the secret of the title: “Work in Progress”.

Did you know that no fewer than 440 000 units of the classic Mini were built in Milan? Between 1965 and 1975, engineering company Innocenti – creator of the legendary Lambretta scooter – manufactured the classic Mini under licence in order to meet the pent-up demand in Southern Europe. After 1975, Innocenti continued production with a body developed by Bertone and the technology from the British original. This “Innocenti Mini 90/120” was built until 1982.

Anybody interested in classic motorcycles is likely to have a well-developed sense of style – and will be interested in the new BMW Motorrad Heritage Collection 2020. BMW Motorrad is extending its commitment to the heritage segment with motorcycle gear and accessories ranging from leather jackets, through denim outfits to boots. The products celebrate the history of BMW Motorrad with accents including iconic details like the “Twin Stripes” – fine white trim lines on deep black. The collection will be available from January 2020.