The Messerschmitt KR175

microcar Microcar is a term often used for the smallest size of cars, with three or four wheels and often an engine smaller than . Specific types of microcars include bubble cars, cycle cars, invacar, quadricycles and voiturettes. Microcars are often ...

(1953–1955) was the first vehicle built by

Messerschmitt Messerschmitt AG () was a German share-ownership limited, aircraft manufacturing corporation named after its chief designer Willy Messerschmitt from mid-July 1938 onwards, and known primarily for its World War II fighter aircraft, in partic ...

under its 1952 agreement with

Fritz Fend Fritz Fend (April 14, 1920 in Rosenheim – November 22, 2000) was an aeronautical engineer. He was noted for designing Messerschmitt's Kabinenroller (cabinscooter) KR175 and KR200 microcars, for co-founding FMR, the company that took over produc ...

. In concept, although not in actual design, it was, in principle, a development of the

Fend Flitzer The Fend Flitzer was a three-wheeled invalid carriage designed and built by Fritz Fend. The Flitzer established many of the basic concepts on which Fend's later Messerschmitt Kabinenroller microcars were developed. Background In 1948, Fend, a for ...

invalid carriage. Approximately 15,000 were built before it was replaced by the

Messerschmitt KR200 The Messerschmitt KR200, or ''Kabinenroller'' (Cabin Scooter), is a three-wheeled bubble car designed by the aircraft engineer Fritz Fend and produced in the factory of the German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt from 1955 until 1964. History ...

in 1956.Microcar Museum: 1954 Messerschmitt KR175

History

Messerschmitt, temporarily not allowed to manufacture aircraft, had turned its resources to producing other products. In 1952, Fend approached Messerschmitt with the idea of manufacturing small motor vehicles.Wagner, p.163 These were based on his

invalid carriage.Wagner, p.165 The first of Fend's vehicles to enter production at Messerschmitt's Regensburg factory was the KR175 (prototypes had been designated FK150 - Fend Kabinenroller 150 - with a 150cc F&S engine) . The title ''Kabinenroller'' means " scooter with cabin".Wagner p.162 While the Messerschmitt name and insignia were used on the car, a separate company, incorporated as Regensburger Stahl- und Metallbau GmbH (RSM), was created to manufacture and market the vehicle. There were several problems with the first KR175s to be built, resulting in 70 design modifications between the beginning of production in February and June 1953. The KR200, although superficially very similar was developed from the KR175 but with many fundamental changes, replaced it in 1955.

Features

Being based on the Kabinenroller platform, the KR175 had tandem seating accessed by a hatch that opened upward and to the right. The standard version of the KR175's hatch had a

canopy Canopy may refer to: Plants * Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests) * Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes Religion and ceremonies * Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an a ...

made from a large Plexiglas dome with a cutout at the front for a small, flat glass windshield and a cutout on either side for the frames for the sliding windows. A "sportster" model was available without the dome or the windows, with only the windshield attached. On early models, the windshield wiper was manually operated. The front fenders did not have wheel cutouts.

Engine and transmission

The KR175 ran on a

Fichtel & Sachs ZF Sachs AG, also known as Fichtel & Sachs, was founded in Schweinfurt in 1895 and was a well-known German family business. At its last point as an independent company, the company name was Fichtel & Sachs AG. In 1997, the automotive supplier wa ...

air-cooled

single cylinder A single-cylinder engine, sometimes called a thumper, is a piston engine with one cylinder. This engine is often used for motorcycles, motor scooters, go-karts, all-terrain vehicles, radio-controlled vehicles, portable tools and garden machinery ( ...

two-stroke engine A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being completed in one revolution of t ...

centrally positioned in front of the rear wheel, just behind the passenger's seat. The engine was started with a pull rope as standard, but there was an option of an electric starter. The electric starter became standard in 1954. The transmission was a sequential, positive-stop type with four speeds and no synchronization nor reverse gear.

Controls

The KR175 used the standard Kabinenroller steering system, with a steering bar connected directly to the track rods of the front wheels, providing an extremely direct response best suited to small, measured inputs. The KR175's steering bar was made from tubular steel. The gearshift lever, on the right side of the cockpit, had a secondary lever on it which operated the clutch. The throttle was operated by a

twist-grip A twistgrip is a handle that can be twisted to operate a control. It is commonly found as a motorcycle's right handlebar grip to control the throttle, but is sometimes found elsewhere, such as on a bicycle as a gearshift, and in helicopters. Hi ...

on the left handlebar. The foot brake pedal, which was the only pedal in the car, operated brakes on all three wheels mechanically, using cables. The handbrake lever operated similarly. In 1954, the clutch lever was replaced by a pedal.

MI-VAL Mivalino

Italian motorcycle manufacturer Metalmeccanica Italiana Valtrompia s.p.a., makers of the brand , assembled KR175s in

Brescia Brescia (, locally ; lmo, link=no, label= Lombard, Brèsa ; lat, Brixia; vec, Bressa) is a city and ''comune'' in the region of Lombardy, Northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Garda and Iseo. ...

, Italy, using components imported from Messerschmitt but with their own two-stroke engine installed. These cars were sold as the MI-VAL Mivalino.

Data

* Configuration: mid (rear) engine, rear drive * Seating, front/rear: 1/1 * Weather protection:

bubble canopy A bubble canopy is an aircraft canopy constructed without bracing, for the purpose of providing a wider unobstructed field of view to the pilot, often providing 360° all-round visibility. The designs of bubble canopies can drastically vary; so ...

coupe * Heating/air conditioning: none/none * Engine type: Fichtel & Sachs, 1 cylinder, 2 stroke * Displacement: 174 cc * Bore x stroke— 62 x 58 mm * Compression: 6.8:1 * Power: @ 5,250 rpm * Cooling: air, with fan * Starter: kick starter, later

Dynastart SIBA Elektrik G.m.b.H is a former German automotive electrical manufacturer, noted as manufacturers of the Dynastart combined starter motor and dynamo, used on many cars, motorcycles and scooters in the 1950s and notable for providing an electric m ...

* Drive: 4 speed and chain to single rear wheel * Brakes: 3 wheel * Wheel size: 4.00 by 8 in * Dimensions (length/width/height) (m): // * Wheelbase: * Track, front/rear: /0 m. * Weight, empty/full load: /. * Fuel consumption: * Top speed: * Years built: 1953 to 1955 * Number built: 15,000 (19,668 from another source) * Price : DM 2,100.00

Notes

References

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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Messerschmitt Kr175 Microcars Coupés Three-wheeled motor vehicles First car made by manufacturer Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive vehicles Cars introduced in 1953