The Messerschmitt KR200 was a very unusual car when it debuted in the North American car market during the mid-1950s.
Messerschmitt was more famous as a German aircraft manufacturer and built fighter planes for Nazi Germany during World War Two.
Germany’s surrender agreement ended their aircraft manufacturing industry, but Messerschmitt was allowed to build non-aviation products as part of the economic recovery plan for post-war Germany.
Jim Sutherland
The result was Messerschmitt began to build small cars during the 1950s until Germany became a part of the NATO alliance and returned to manufacturing aircraft.
A 1956 Messerschmitt KR200 coupe was a star attraction at a summer car show because few people had even seen one before, given the fact so few of these cars were sold in North America during their 1955-64 production run. In fact, only about 41,000 of these unique little cars were build over their nine-year run and few of them crossed the pond into the North American automotive market.
However, one was sold at BSM Motors in Edmonton, Alberta Canada and never left the area. The car’s current owner is Hans Van Huystee, a charter member of ‘The Weird Little Car Club’, a car guy organization dedicated to unusual small vehicles from the automotive past.
A 1956 Messerschmitt KR200 most certainly qualifies for admission into the Weird Little Car Club because it may well be one of the most unusual cars ever built, at least in our opinion here at MyStarCollectorCar.
Fortunately, Hans is a very knowledgeable owner and was able to explain the peculiarities of his Messerschmitt KR200.
For example, the Messerschmitt KR200 shows its links with its aviation heritage because its roof resembles the canopy of a vintage aircraft and lifts sideways to allow access to the passenger area. It also has a steering wheel that resembles an airplane’s wheel.
Hans bought his microcar about three years ago and “came by it by chance”, in his words. It has its original 190 cc one-cylinder/two-cylinder engine that puts out a modest 10 horsepower. One of the Messerschmitt’s unique features is its ability to go forward or backward in four gears because the engine needs to be started in reverse to go backwards. In short, there is no reverse gear in the manual transmission.
Another unusual feature is a Messerschmitt KR200 can be registered as either a scooter or a car, depending upon an owner’s choice in Hans’ jurisdiction. For the record, he chose a car registration because a scooter registration required a motorcycle helmet while driving the Messerschmitt, according to Hans.
The 1956 Messerschmitt KR200 is capable of a top speed of roughly 60 mph (about 100 km/h), but Hans chooses not to press his luck in that area, given the car is not really designed for highway speeds. The trade-off is his little car will get 100 mpg under the right conditions, so it will pass gas pumps with ease.
Hans told MyStarCollectorCar he drives his Messerschmitt KR200 as much as possible because he enjoys time behind the wheel of his very unusual German microcar.
It has an even bigger “smiles per gallon” numbers than its incredible MPG numbers, and that is a big part of the fun for Hans.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
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