this post was submitted on 01 Jan 2026
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Back in the 1960s there was a kind of car called a Bubble Car. They had a front-opening door, that is, the door and windscreen were one, and it opened up, out and to the left. The cars also had no reverse gear.
It was thus possible to get into a state where you'd driven right up to the back wall of a garage and were then completely unable to get out.
The car wasn't broken and otherwise worked normally. If there'd been a radio in there, that would have still worked. The seat didn't suddenly become uncomfortable, etc. Nonetheless, the user was stuck.
What's the point of this anecdote? Well, a computer that can be fixed by rebooting was in a state like that bubble car stuck against the back wall of the garage.
Unfortunately, with the car, there was no equivalent reset to get back outside the garage again, and usually resulted in the user screaming for help.
Internet Pedantry Alert!
If it's what you're thinking of and it probably is, the OG "bubble car" was the BMW Isetta and I'm afraid the scenario outlined above is a myth that was promulgated by Top Gear. The Isetta does indeed have a reverse gear, because even ze Bavarians were smart enough to think of that. Yes, this is also the car that Steve Urkel drove.
What's true is that in the immediate postwar years, quite a lot of other lesser European microcars hit the streets which were built around largely as-is motorbike drivetrains which didn't have reverse. Vanishingly few of these did not have side opening doors, though, with some strange exceptions.
Got me wondering: did they not even have Neutral?
They do. They also have a manual clutch.
"Help, I'm stuck because I'm too weak to push a vehicle that weights nothing away from the wall!!"
You could also just open the door into the obstacle and push if you were really hard up, with the understanding that you may mar the paint on the door edge.
That's actually what I was getting at.
Ah. I was thinking one hand out the window, like James was trying to accomplish. Either/or.
Thought the windshield wouldn't open, but I'm too lazy right now to go back and check.
It doesn't, but the side windows do if there's anything solid within reach you can grab.
...Or just put it in reverse.