1959 Messerschmitt KR 200 Kabinenroller

After World War II, with stringent restrictions imposed by the Allies, the former aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt turned its attention to car production and put the eccentric Kabinenroller model into limited production. Messerschmitt became one of the best known “bubble car” manufacturers and produced the Kabinenroller until the early 1960s.

The idea had originally been conceived by Fritz Fend, an ex-Luftwaffe pilot, to provide inexpensive transport for disabled ex-servicemen. Manufacture started at the Messerschmitt factory in Regensburg with the first model, the KR 75, powered by a 175 cc, single-cylinder, two-stroke Sachs engine with controls similar to those of a motorcycle.

In 1955 the KR 200 appeared, an updated, more-refined version of the KR 175, offering a wider track, an optional additional seat and a 199 cc engine. The vehicle had four forward gears and independent front and rear suspension, not to mention a peculiar reversing...