Messerschmitt FMR Tg500 History

The FMR Tg500, universally known as the Tiger (though Krupp owned that trademark in Germany, preventing official use), was a step beyond the three-wheel Kabinenrollers — a proper four-wheeled car on the same narrow tandem-seating chassis, powered by a 494 cc Fichtel & Sachs air-cooled two-cylinder two-stroke engine producing approximately 19.5 hp. That gave a top speed of around 78 mph (125 km/h) — remarkable performance for any microcar of the era.

To handle the extra performance, the Tg500 received hydraulic brakes (the KR200 made do with mechanical units) and a conventional reverse gear in its transaxle rather than the engine-reversal trick of the three-wheelers. Prototypes were tested from September 1957 and production ran until 1961.

Production was minuscule: approximately 320 units total, making the Tg500 among the rarest of all bubble-car collectibles. It is regularly cited as one of the most desirable microcars ever built, with examples fetching six figures at auction.