1963 Messerschmitt KR200 Kabinenroller Microcar

Les Grandes Marques du Monde à Paris|1 February 2024, 13:30 CET|Paris, The Grand Palais Historique

1963 Messerschmitt KR200 Kabinenroller Microcar
Chassis no. 080011

• Iconic German microcar
• Restored in 2021
• Restoration records available
• Registered in the EU, in Ireland

Beautifully restored in 2021, this iconic Messerschmitt Kabinenroller microcar is one of the best remembered and most readily recognised cars ever produced. Messerschmitt, temporarily forbidden to manufacture aircraft after WW2, had turned its resources to making other products, including microcars. The KR200 was powered by a 191cc Fichtel & Sachs air-cooled single-cylinder two-stroke engine (maximum power output 10hp) positioned in front of the rear wheel, just behind the passenger's seat. In total, 30,286 units of the KR200 were built between 1955 and 1964.

Probably the most iconic of the entire collection, this beautifully restored 1963 Messerschmitt is a real eye-catcher. According to the vendor it is fast and a joy to drive, having outstanding visibility. Apart from the dual-mode ignition, which enables the engine to run backwards as well as forwards, the KR200 had a steering bar reminiscent of that of an aircraft. To steer the KR200, the driver would swivel the steering bar about its axis from the horizontal (straight-ahead) position instead of rotating it as with a conventional steering wheel. The mechanism was connected directly to the front wheels' track rods, providing a very direct response best suited to small movements, unlike other common steering mechanisms which involve reduction gearing.

Elvis Presley, a famous microcar enthusiast, owned a Messerschmitt in the 1950s prior to serving in Germany with the United States Army (see photograph on file of Elvis and his family with his Messerschmitt). Accompanying documentation consists of an EU registration certificate; a restoration records file; an original owner's manual (in English); and motoring magazine reports.

Footnotes

1963 Messerschmitt KR200 Kabinenroller microcar
Châssis n° 080011

• Microcar allemande emblématique
• Restaurée en 2021
• Suivi de la restauration disponible
• Immatriculation européenne irlandaise

Magnifiquement restaurée en 2021, cette microcar Messerschmitt Kabinenroller emblématique est l'une des voitures les plus connues et des plus reconnaissables jamais construites. Messerschmitt, temporairement interdit de construire des avions après la seconde guerre, avait modifié ses activités en construisant d'autres produits dont des microcars. La KR200 recevait un moteur monocylindre deux temps refroidi par air Fichtel & Sachs de 191 cm3 (d'une puissance maximale de 10 ch) à l'avant des roues arrière, juste derrière le siège passager. Au total, 30 286 unités de la KR200 furent construites entre 1955 et 1964.
Probablement la plus remarquable de toute la collection, cette Messerschmitt de 1963 magnifiquement restaurée est une vraie séductrice. Selon le vendeur elle est rapide et agréable à conduire avec sa visibilité panoramique. En dehors de son allumage deux mode, qui permet de rouler aussi bien en marche avant qu'en marche arrière, la KR200 recevait un « manche à balai », héritage de son passé aéronautique. Pour diriger la KR200, le conducteur devait faire tourner le palonnier autour de sa position horizontale (en avant) au lieu de le faire pivoter comme un volant conventionnel. Le mécanisme était connecté directement aux roues avant, donnant une réponse très directe parfaite pour les petits mouvements, contrairement aux mécanismes de direction habituels qui réclament une démultiplication.
Elvis Presley, amateur de microcar, posséda une Messerschmitt dans les années 1950, avant de faire son service militaire en Allemagne dans l'armée américaine (voir la photo du dossier montrant Elvis et sa famille avec sa Messerschmitt). La documentation qui l'accompagne comprend son certificat d'immatriculation dans l'union européenne, un dossier de la restauration, un manuel du propriétaire d'origine (en anglais) et des articles de presse.

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