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Messerschmitt Once Made Nazi Fighter Planes, and Then This Funky Bubble Car

During the years of the Second World War, the name Messerschmitt was dreaded by the enemies of Germany. The Nazi-made Bf 109 0r Me 262 for instance became either the bulk of the Luftwaffe in the case of the former, or the world’s first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft in the case of the latter.
Messerschmitt KR200 on sale at RM Sotheby's auction 14 photos
Photo: RM Sotheby's
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Created way back in 1916 once MAN got involved in a little known aircraft manufacturer by the name of Otto-Flugzeugwerke, the company was taken to new heights once designer Willy Messerschmitt joined the ranks in 1927. His projects were so successful that just before the onset of the war, in 1938, the company was given Messerschmitt’s name.

As said, the Messerschmitt planes were the backbone of the German air force, and an incredible thorn in the side of the Allies, and this is partially why the company was banned from making airplanes for a decade after the war ended.

But that didn’t mean it was disbanded, and to keep itself afloat it had to make something. And bubble cars were the chosen solution.

The brainchild of aircraft engineer Fritz Fend, the two bubble cars that were made starting 1953 were the KR175 and KR200. The former stayed in production for just two years, and the latter for about a decade, making both incredibly difficult to find these days.

But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible, and during an RM Sotheby’s auction still scheduled to take place this May, both a KR175 and a KR200 will go under the hammer.

In the case of the KR200 pictured in the gallery above, we’re talking about a restored bubble car that was once part of the Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum in Madison, Georgia.

Equipped with all the period correct accessories - radio, clock, luggage rack, visor, and metric speedometer – the microcar also has Fritz Fend’s signature on it, making it even rarer.

Sotheby’s does not give an estimate as to how much the KR200 is expected to fetch.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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