Messerschmitt in Context
A Messerschmitt overview must begin with the circumstances of postwar Germany. Barred from aircraft production, the company turned its factory space and engineering habits toward affordable personal transport, adopting a design by Fritz Fend for an enclosed three-wheeled vehicle seated in tandem. The result was the Kabinenroller, a cabin scooter with a canopy that hinged open like a cockpit, handlebar steering and a small single-cylinder engine at the rear. It was cheap to run at a time when fuel and money were scarce, and it sold well enough to become a symbol of the era alongside the BMW Isetta and Goggomobil.
Understanding Messerschmitt
Understanding Messerschmitt models means recognising how few there really were and how much they shared. The KR-series three-wheelers evolved through improvements to the engine, bodywork and windows, while the later four-wheeled Tiger, sold under the successor FMR name, added a more powerful engine and true sports-car pretensions. Messerschmitt body styles are essentially variations on the tandem two-seater, offered with a transparent dome, a convertible-style folding top or an open roadster arrangement. The brand's car business ended in the early 1960s as prosperity made conventional small cars affordable, leaving a compact legacy that remains highly collectible today.