Landrie, ‘bubble car’ go way back

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This article was published 02/08/2024 (610 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When Minnedosa’s Carl Landrie was about 18 years old, he drove his car from Toronto to Winnipeg. And while that route may not sound extraordinary, his mode of transportation certainly was.

“It was 1961, and I drove my 1959 BMW Isetta. It took me about 10 days to get to Winnipeg,” Landrie said. “It got good mileage, but the gas tank is extremely small — it only holds three gallons.”

“And back then, there weren’t dozens and dozens of gas stations along the way, so I was all by myself on the Trans-Canada Highway. Looking back, it makes me shudder a little bit knowing that wasn’t necessarily a good move, but I managed to get from gas station to gas station on three gallons. And my dad had given me an extra jug that held two gallons of gas, so it got me to where I wanted to go,” he said.

The Isetta is an Italian-designed microcar that is 2.29 metres (7.5 feet) long, 1.37 metres (4.5 feet) wide and weighs 350 kilograms (770 pounds). It earned its nickname “bubble car” because of its shape.

In 1954, BMW acquired the licensing rights and in eight years, produced and sold more than 160,000 Isettas, mostly in Europe.

It was the top-selling single-cylinder car in the world and is said to have saved BMW from bankruptcy, according to autoevolution.com, a worldwide auto industry website that was launched 16 years ago.

The Isetta that Landrie would eventually own found its way to Ontario.

“It was initially purchased by a gentleman in Toronto who had it for a while, and then it was backed into by a semi and was totally destroyed. It was an absolute disaster,” said Landrie.

“And that’s when my dad stepped forward as a body man and a mechanic and bought the car for, I think he said $15. He spent months and months and months restoring it, and then he phoned me and said, ‘I’ve got a car for you,’” he said.

The car was manufactured with either three or four wheels. Landrie’s model has four.

“And there is only one door to it,” he said. “The entire front of the car is the door, and the steering wheel is attached to it. So when you open it, the steering wheel and the door swing out.

“And when you get back in and close the door, the steering wheel comes back down and meets you right in your little belly.”

“The gear shift is on the side of the driver, so you shift gears with your left hand. And to make things even more crazy, it is a convertible. There’s a flap on the roof that you open, and the sun can beat down on your bald head,” Landrie said as he laughed.

After arriving in Winnipeg in 1961, Landrie and the Isetta spent four years at the University of Manitoba — that was the time it took to achieve a bachelor of education degree. And shortly after graduation, Landrie landed a job teaching biology at Minnedosa Collegiate, where he taught for more than 30 years.

“I drove the bubble out to Minnedosa in 1966, you bet I did,” he said. “Top speed was 30 to 35 miles per hour.”

These days, Landrie will only drive his Isetta in controlled areas like car show lots. The low speed is not safe for main roads or highways.

“I think I drove it once to Neepawa 10 or 15 years ago, but that’s it,” he said.

So, he “trailers it” behind another one of his classics — his 1937 Plymouth four-door sedan hotrod. The body is original and has a “350 Chevy engine, power brakes and power steering.”

He got the Plymouth shortly after he moved to Minnedosa. It, like the Isetta, came from Ontario, where it was repaired and repainted by his brother. Additional engine work has been completed by automotive students from Minnedosa Collegiate.

Landrie is a member of Minnedosa’s Valley Cruizers car club and attends the monthly Cruise Night at the Dari Isle Drive In on the last Wednesday of every month.

He is also a regular at Cruise Night in Downtown Brandon, held on the first Thursday of every month, in connection with Brandon and Area Car Enthusiasts (BACE) and the Road Rebels Car Club.

Landrie said he loves talking to people about his cars and is constantly answering one of two repeat questions. The first is how long it took him to make the Isetta, because many think it’s a kit car. The other question is, “am I ever going to sell it?”

Recently, a 1959 fully restored Isetta convertible was sold for $30,250 on formulaauctions.com a Canadian online auction platform for the “Canadian extraordinary vehicle market.”

“At this time, I have no intentions of parting with it,” Landrie said.

“It is one thing that continuously reminds me of my good dad. I take good care of the car and unless it’s at a car show, the car is in my garage.

“And that is out of respect for my father, who spent blood, sweat and tears restoring it for me. My joy comes out of driving my cars as opposed to working on them, so I’m very careful to take care of this very rare car.”

» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com

» X: @enviromichele