The average price paid for a three-wheeled Messerschmitt KR200 bubble top microcar is $41,037, so finding this 1955 example—a restoration that is heading toward the finish line—for $16,500 in a Barn Finds Classified in Bentonville, Arkansas is intriguing. It’s not going to win Pebble Beach—the owner describes it as “a good 20-footer”—but it seems poised for fun.
Much has been done. The car is a roller, with a rebuilt chaincase and rear brake, new tires and powder-coated rims, a new steering wheel with column and steering linkage, a new wiring harness (not installed) and the plexiglass dome top that needs to be attached. The main job awaiting the new owner is rebuilding and installing the engine, but the single-cylinder, two-stroke 191-cc Fichtel & Sachs engines (with just 9.9 horsepower) aren’t hugely complex—it’s not like the Porsche four-cam Carrera motor. To go in reverse, the air-cooled engine ran backward!
The owner stresses that only factory-correct parts sourced from the UK and Germany have been used in the rebuild. A drawback for some will be the absence of a title. “Please, no dreamers and tire kickers,” says the seller. “Very fair price for this car considering how hard they are to find in the U.S. and the work completed.” Also on offer are a pair of Isetta 300 microcars, and there’s the possibility of a package deal.
The precursor of this car, the KR175, was a product of a deal between Messerschmitt and Fend. The latter made the Fend Flitzer invalid carriage, and the KR cars were based on it. There was tandem seating, with the passenger right behind the driver.
The KR stood for Kabinenroller, or “scooter with cabin.” The KR200 appeared in 1955 and was offered until 1964, by which time 41,190 had been built. So it has to be considered a success in microcar terms.
With a headwind, a KR200 can reach 56 mph. Not a highway cruiser. Fend eventually (1956) bought out Messerschmitt (which had re-entered airplane production). There were several variations on the basic bubble top, including a roadster, a Kabrio Limousine model, and the rare Sport.
Put some turf tires and fabricate a small rack to carry golf clubs and use it for a golf cart that or for a parade car or maybe if you owned a large property with navigable roads you could putt around on are the only uses I could see.I’d feel safer driving a motorcycle then this on today’s roads with today’s drivers imo. This was made when there were about 200 million less people in the U.S.glwts.
It seems like the kind of thing where the title ought to be handwritten on a napkin.
That’d be a chore, puttin’ along in some “parade”. 150F inside the greenhouse. The only parade around here would be on March 17th. Cue the DUI/DWI!
I wouldn’t be surprised if the new owner left the bubble loosely placed on top for display and only ever drove it as an open car.
Calling it a Golf Cart or using it as one, would be degrading its cult status among microcar enthusiasts. The KR200 is a very desirable microcar among collectors and command considerable prices at auctions. When the Bruce Weiner auction took place in 2013, one of them went for $185K!
Nein Danke.
I have never liked any of these 3 wheelers, and using it as a golf car is a good idea, but it still might have problems making some of the hills around here. I wouldn’t own it.
That engine looks like the one in my Harley golf cart.
I have yet to see a car you do like! Please let us know if that happens.
never saw them w/the different tops.
Isettas and these (an occasional morgan 3W) could B seen zippin in & out of commuter traffic in the city (“Boston”, round here) during the 60s/early 70s. My thing then was wrenchin cheeper wrecked Italian verts but kept an eye out.
Never see them now but am in farm country where it’s mostly trucks…
I like the design and construction, for style I’ll go its cousin goggolemobile (TS coupe or the van). There is ONE metropolitan wagon left of the 2 made. That or the AB’s Furgoncino (low roof) van (500 cc, made just 6 yrs) would draw me toward purchases/life time ownership.
Gotta say I always liked the basic Goggo sedan’s miniature-real-car styling and managing to move four people with the same 200cc as the ‘Schmitt. That engine size meant that it could be driven in Germany on a motorcycle-only license issued before some point in the early ’50s which is why the Goggo survived into the late ’60s alongside 4-door Opel Kadetts and the first imports from Japan.
Awwww, cousin It would be rolling over in his grave (if he had a grave)
I would want one just for the novelty of “it”
No, not the American Pickers one, but close. I used to tune into that show, until Frank had enough. Always felt bad for Frank. He made the show, not this other yahoo. I realize Hollywood has always exploited just about every venue, so it’s no surprise when it happens to “ours”. This “Mike” had to have one, and allegedly paid like $40 grand. Frank just shook his head. I don’t think it’s cute at all, and a death trap if I ever saw’r one. Thank heaven we live in a country where this kind of travel was deemed unsafe. We were driving 5,000 pound Chryslers with hemis for Gods sake.
And as a final blow, my old man, yeah, the “blood and guts” WW2 vet, had a phrase for the planes, we turned them into a “mess of shxx”, thanks to our brothers in England for that!
Very cute, but this one is too expensive, you can buy a lot of better classics for the price, and it isn’t even a runner.
Car SOS did a resto on one of these a couple of years ago. The steering is so direct, it was like driving a go kart, and at 60 kph, more dangerous than eating a bag of razor blades.
I have a gentleman interested in possibly buying it. Please reach me via the email attached.