1959 FMR Messerschmitt KR200


Details

Following the Second World War much of the Messerschmitt factory had been destroyed and the company was no longer allowed to manufacture aircraft. In order to survive they turned their hand to manufacturing other commodities including scooters. Fritz Fend, the designer and manufacturer of the Fend Flizer three wheel invalid carriage, approached Messerschmitt with the ideas of building a kabinroller or “scooter” with a cabin.

This idea soon became reality and the Messerschmitt KR175 was born. Around, 15,000 cars were built before the KR175 evolved into the KR200 in 1955. Whilst a very similar car in many ways the KR200 had many improvements over its predecessor and it was a great success.

The KR200 was powered by a 191cc Fichtel & Sachs air cooled, single cylinder, two stroke engine positioned in front of the rear wheel, immediately behind the passenger’s seat. This provided a marginal increase in power from the KR175’s 174cc engine.

The aircraft inspired design is both very unique and very clever and the side opening canopy to allow access to and from the cabin is just brilliant!

Another unique feature of these little cars was that they had no reverse gear as such. By pushing and turning the ignition key (rather than just turning to start) in fact started the car with the engine running backwards. This meant the car could in theory travel as fast backwards as it could forwards!

In 1956 Messerschmitt was allowed to manufacture aircraft again and they lost interest in the microcars. Fend subsequently purchased Messerschmitt’s Regensburg works and the rights to continue to build the little cars. The cars were subsequently known as FMR Messerschmitts. Subsequently a KR200 convertible model and later a KR201 Roadster were also built, however, it was the four wheel FMR TG500 (or Tiger) that was the ultimate version.

Some 40,000 of these cars were built in ten years of production through until 1964.

Oldtimer Australia is delighted to offer a 1959 Messerschmitt KR200.

The car is chassis number 72751 with engine number 2938392. The front and rear frames are both stamped 72751 (which is unusual!) and the ID tag and engine tag also match their respective stampings.

This car has come from a long term owner who acquired the car as a project some twenty years ago. He restored the car and has used it sparingly since, attending the occasional micro car club event and classic car show in and around Sydney. The car’s prior history is not known though it still retains an on old NSW registration sticker on the windscreen from 1967.

Today this car presents and drives really well. Whilst it is an older restoration the paint work is bright and in very good condition with the odd blemish and stone chip noticeable on closer inspection. The bubble top is also in very good condition. All of the exterior trim, badges, lenses etc look to be correct and also in very good condition. The interior is in excellent condition and all of the switches and gauges are in working order. The only exception being the “steering wheel” which has a few hairline cracks in the ceramic coating. Mechanically the car is also very good. It starts easily and the engine pulls strongly. In summary the car runs and drives as it should.

A unique opportunity!


Specification

  • -
  • KR200
  • 1959
  • Sports
  • Manual
  • 504 miles
  • 191cc

SOLD

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