After the Second World War a German aircraft engineer called Fritz Fend found himself out of work. He turned to making invalid carriages for injured pilots and developed a three wheeler, constructed on a tubular space frame with such unorthodox features as handlebar steering, compressed rubber suspension and cable operated brakes. It also had just one sear. Fend wanted to enlarge it to take two seats in tandem, and he managed to persuade that other great German warplane manufacture Messerschmitt to use their dormant factory to build it. The result was the Kabinenroller, a two seater, three wheeler with handlebar steering and a meager 173cc engine driving the back wheel. For access it had a Plexiglass roof which lifted up to the side to allow you to climb in.
In 1955 a larger 200cc engine was fitted and the KR200 was born, capable of 62 mph, fairly impressive for its size. The engine was reversible, meaning, in essence, that you could select one of four reverse gears if you really wanted to. To the ride was slightly improved by the introduction of torsional rubber bushes and the shape became more sleek with a curved glass windscreen. A convertible was introduced in 1956 and production of the KR200 continued until 1964, when falling interest in micro cars brought about Messerschmitt’s demise.
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