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Bubble and squeeze! Scooter mogul, 62, dubbed the ‘Swiss Elon Musk’, reinvents THAT iconic ’60s car
- Bubble cars drift off the production line and this time they are electric
- They have been redesigned for the modern age by scooter magnate Wim Ouboter
- Mr Ouboter has unveiled his shiny Microlino bubble cars, costing £13,200
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They went out of style in the 1960s with the rise of the Fiat 500.
But bubble cars are floating off the production line again — and this time they’re electric.
The cars have been redesigned for the modern age by scooter mogul Wim Ouboter, nicknamed the ‘Swiss Elon Musk’.
Mr Ouboter, who has sold 50 million lightweight Micro scooters since 1997, has now unveiled his gleaming Microlino bubble cars, which cost from £13,200. They are 8ft long and 5ft wide meaning three can be squeezed sideways into a parking space.
They went out of style in the 1960s with the rise of the Fiat 500. But bubble cars are drifting off the production line again – and this time they’re electric
The model is inspired by the original Isetta bubble car, which was driven by celebrities, including actor Cary Grant, despite being a budget vehicle.
Former banker Mr Ouboter, 62, said: ‘Scooters have moved people and saved countless unnecessary car journeys.
‘I believe that a similar change of mindset is now essential for urban car traffic to drastically reduce CO2.’
The first 500 Microlinos will go on sale in Germany, Italy and Switzerland this year and it is hoped that the car will arrive in the UK in the spring.
Classic versions of the iconic bubble car are extremely valuable today.
A collection of 47 microcars and bubble cars from 1954 to 1992, which once formed the basis of a husband and wife’s car museum, will be sold to the highest bidder and is expected to fetch more than £190,000 at auction.
And earlier this month, Silverstone Auctions announced that a 1957 BMW Isetta 600, formerly owned by the late Sir Stirling Moss, is going to the block with an estimated value of up to £60,000.
Mr Ouboter, who has sold 50 million lightweight Micro scooters since 1997, has now unveiled his gleaming Microlino bubble cars, which cost £13,200.