It's A Small Car After All - 1957 BMW Isetta 300

Marshal had a few local professionals redo the upholstery, but the scheme and color choices were still his. Handcrafted leather from Argentina was dyed to match the exterior. Stowed away beneath the driver's seat is the compact Alpine PDX-4.150 digital amp. The amp is directly connected to an Optima PC925L YellowTop motorcycle battery by Monster Cable 4-gauge power and ground cables, and the other components are connected by 8-gauge cables. Excess cable is hidden behind the panels of the vehicle. "We could have cut and spliced to shorten them up, but thought that might challenge the integrity of the installation," Marshal says.

The exterior is just as impressive as what's found beneath the "hood." The modest yet beautiful Porsche red and white paint really pops, thanks to specialists in Riverside, CA. Kuhmo tires wrap around 10" Minilites. The brakes and suspension are completely rebuilt factory parts. The 300cc motorcycle engine was completely disassembled and rebuilt to better-than-factory specs.

Though it is typically parked in the company lobby for visitors to admire, this Isetta may also be spotted on weekends going as fast as the 20hp motorcycle engine will allow. "This car is a polar opposite of my normal driving habit. Exceeding the speed limit is pretty difficult," Marshal says.

Since it's important to keep this $40,000 Isetta blemish-free, Marshal installed a Kenwood CCD-2000 backup camera inside the air inlet located at the rear of the vehicle.

Knobs and buttons are in short supply in this two-tone rolling egg. Instead, a Kenwood KOS-L702 touchscreen monitor controls all audio and visual upgrades. Marshal and his fellow Isetta expert, Greg Hahs, used sheetmetal to fabricate a sturdy mount for the monitor and then welded it into place. An iPod video is the source of video files and is hooked up to a Kenwood CarPortal KOS-V500. Basic tuning was accomplished through the unit's built-in "very basic equalizer and crossover setup." The 6.95-inch monitor also displays navigational information provided by a Kenwood KNA-G510 and controls the Sirius SIR-KEN1. The antennas for the units are "mounted under the rear deck, which is upholstered hardboard material, so both antennas function perfectly," Marshal says.

The Focal 165VRS 6.5" component system is hidden behind perforated covers that allow the speakers to sound off without compromising the original sleek look of the interior. These shallow speakers were perfect for the install because of the limited amount of space between the interior panels and exterior skin. Sheetmetal mounting panels were constructed and welded in place. Dynamat Xtreme sound deadening material was applied to the entire interior of the vehicle.