[1] The car is named after the Isar river which comes from the Alps, flows through the Bavarian capital Munich and eventually empties itself after a journey of almost 300 kilometres near Deggendorf, where Glas has its headquarters, into the Danube.

The late decision led to issues with the gear box, however, which could not be redesigned at this stage and was simply switched round to allow for the fact that the drive shaft pointed in the opposite direction to that previously envisaged.

The new two door four seater incorporated several then fashionable transatlantic styling features including an eye-catching wrap-around windscreen, small tailfins and a two-tone paint finish.

The 584 cc boxer motor developed a maximum power output of 15 kW (20 PS) at 5,000 rpm, which provided for a top speed of 98 km/h (61 mph).

In order to distance the model from the smaller and more minimalist Goggomobil, and possibly also to try and distract from reliability and structural problems that afflicted early cars, November 1959 saw a name change.

In the manufacturer's Lower Bavarian homeland, the River Isar is the principal river and would have enjoyed a warm resonance with customers, though subsequently, as the company began to implement an export strategy, it was found that customers in some non-German speaking countries thought the name "Isar" sounded "funny" and cars exported to these markets were branded as the "Glas Isard" which presumably sounded less "funny" .

[4] Isard is the vernacular name for a variant of Chamois living in the Pyrénées,known as a fast runner and agile climber, making it a difficult target for hunters.

Even more alarmingly, until the manufacturer inserted extra strengthening sections under the floor, the body flexed on bumpy roads so much that small cracks appeared and, in extreme cases, the panoramic windscreen popped out of its frame.

Teething troubles on the early T600 and T700 models burdened the manufacturer with high warranty costs and severely damaged the reputation of Glas cars in the market place.

The rear lights were still vertically mounted on the corners of the car underneath little tail fins, but they now became larger and took on a rectangular shape, simpler than hitherto.