Wednesday, April 7, 2010

The Prototype for America's Future Car?

by One Vike

The Messerschmitt Aircraft Company went into business in 1923, but because they produced the popular Bf-109 fighter plane for the Nazis during WWII, the German democratic government disallowed them from manufacturing any aircraft after the war was over.  So from the end of the war until the 1960's, it was limited to producing sewing machines, pre-fab housing, automobile parts, and by the 1950's they began manufacturing an automobile. 
 
The car that the Messerschmitt company is mostly remembered for is the Messerschmitt KR-200 three-wheeler, which had a distinctive bubble canopy.  Designed by aircraft engineer Fritz Fend, and manufactured at Messerschmitt's aircraft factory, this three-wheeled vehicle was powered by an air-cooled 199cc 1-cylinder, 2-stroke that developed 10 bhp at 5250 RPM.   From February 1955 to December 1966, there were a total of 16,000 Messerschmitt KR-200's produced