This 1955 Messerschmitt KR200 was supposedly parked about 40 years ago. It is claimed to have been running then, but is obviously going to need a full restoration now. These may be odd looking little cars, but they actually have quite a unique history. They were designed by an aircraft engineer and built in an aircraft factory. If you look closely, we bet you can find some of the aviation influences. You will not be taking flight anytime soon though because 56 mph was the top speed for the KR200. Still we wouldn’t mind having one for buzzing around the hangar. This one is optimistically priced here on eBay, but microcar values have been on the rise.
It may be tiny, but you can actually seat two in there, one right behind the other. You had better be comfortable with your passenger though because the seating position could be a little awkward. With a tiny single-cylinder two-stroke engine, this thing was basically a scooter with a bubble body on it. There isn’t much to it, but we would be a little nervous about the expense of sourcing parts after paying so much for the car itself. It’s pricey, but can anyone here dig up a better one for less?
These are cool, but $15K cool?
the BIN is $15000, seller states no title, and i do not see it being a driver. may be a great find for someone, but not me.
Geeez……..these guys are taking the fun out of cars………..15K?……..COME ON !!!!!
I have been lucky enough to drive one here in Seattle. Cool cool cool. A little hot on a summer day.
And once again, there’s a WTF-mobile parked in the background. :)
It’s 80% of a truck with pink fenders.
It’s a 1973-79 Ford F series Pickup, probably a half ton model (F100 or F150) as it looks like it has 5 lug wheels.
My 1st car I drove to HS was a ’53 KR175, ‘course that was back in ’60 when I was a Sophomore; but I’ll tell ya, with a lil’ tweaking, ya can get it up to 75 mph, ‘n that was on the 175cc motor, so with a 200cc probably a bit more. The Messerschmitt Tiger was the one to have though. I kept mine all the way to 2007, then sold it to a member of the ‘Club’ for 5K, and it was in a much sadder shape. The hard part on any of those ‘Bubble-tops’ was getting a top replaced, if it was missing or cracked, and making sure it was tinted as well. Other than that, they were fun as hell.
so the question you have to ask yourself is do you really want to go 75MPH in 1 of these, apart from that, it looks cool seems like it’s mostly complete. Is it 15K worth I don’t know but I do know the value of these is heading north.
I think he’s got 1 too many zeroes in the starting price. I’m going to follow it just to see if it sells.
Pound per pound more valuable, of course.
Because when the tin worm shows up it will disappear quicker than a full size car…
$15k does seem like a lot, but the lack of pictures is what I find most disturbing. I have bought $50 items on E-Bay with more detailed photography than this “car” has. For such a rare little beast, you would think the seller would understand a need to provide more information for a prospective owner to make an educated decision.
Back to the price. I think the auction values seen at the Bruce Werner Microcar Museum auction have made people think these things are somehow tremendously valuable now. Sadly though, this is all part of the greater trend towards absurd values for all things with any sort of intrinsic value, and I tend to think it won’t end until the economy stabilizes.
I’ve owned a roadworthy KR-200 for 27 years. It’s a blast to drive: not quite a car, not quite a scooter. Something unique! The low center of gravity gives it a lot of stability, and the motor revs sweetly. There’s more than enough interior room for two people. Virtually every part is available these days from the European owner’s clubs. Yes the price seems high, but the seller can always reduce it to meet the market. Hopefully it goes to a serious collector who will do right by it.
When driving one of these keep an eye out for Triumph Spitfires coming in from the sun
Those lights pop down giving way to some nasty guns.
And Mustangs too.
I suspect it went over some heads.
Decades ago there was a Messerschmitt dealership by my father trucking company somewhere in Amboy NJ. Wish I knew anything about these way back then but at that time I could car about were V8 cars.
Still not sure if I would really want one. Would be cool to drive through the Somerville Friday Car Cruise with it. Or go to one of the Air Cooled Meets to park next to a Citroen 2CV or a Subaru 360 but that is about it to me :?
2CV air-cooled ?
You tell me from this pic… http://image.automobilemag.com/f/features/collectible_classic/10686901+w968/0810_02_z%2B1967_citroen_2CV%2Bair-cooled_flat_twin.jpg
@TVC15 – in fact, there’s a Spitfire parked next to my ‘Schmitt right now! They used to fight a lot, but now they get along.
@ NOSLEEPATALL – the Chrysler Plymouth dealer in downtown Elizabeth, NJ also sold Messerschmitts.
I think 56 mph would be plenty fast for this vehicle!
I like the handle on the back, that way you can push it down the aisles at the grocery store.
Bronco in the background