Messerschmitt

The Messerschmitt car brand is remembered for compact three-wheeled microcars produced in postwar Germany. Designed by aircraft engineer Fritz Fend, models such as the KR175 and KR200 used tandem seating, small two-stroke engines, rear-wheel drive, and a side-hinged transparent canopy that gave them an unmistakable cockpit-like appearance. The KR200, introduced in 1955, became the best-known version and was marketed as a Kabinenroller, or “cabin scooter.” Its lightweight construction and narrow dimensions suited European drivers seeking economical transportation during the 1950s and early 1960s. Messerschmitt automobile production was brief, but these unusual bubble cars remain valued by collectors for their clever packaging, mechanical simplicity, and direct connection to German aviation engineering.