Messerschmitt KR175 History

The KR175 (Kabinenroller 175) was the first production vehicle from Messerschmitt, rolling out of the Regensburg factory in February 1953 under Fritz Fend's design. Fend had been building invalid carriages — the Fend Flitzer — and noticed able-bodied buyers wanted them too; he approached Messerschmitt in 1952 with a scaled-up, enclosed cabin version.

The car seated two in tandem under a large Plexiglas dome that hinged open to the right for entry. Power came from a 173 cc Fichtel & Sachs air-cooled two-stroke single-cylinder engine delivering around 9 hp, driving a single rear wheel. The design went through 70 engineering modifications in its first months of production alone, reflecting the rapid pace of development required to move from Fend's prototype to a manufacturable vehicle.

Approximately 15,000 KR175s were built in its two-year run before the improved KR200 replaced it in 1955. Its combination of extreme economy, aircraft-cockpit styling, and a price low enough to tempt postwar West Germans into their first motor vehicle made it an immediate — if unusual — success.