FMR Messerschmitt kr 201. 1963

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

History

Messerschmitt, temporarily not allowed to manufacture aircraft, had turned its resources to the production of other commodities. In 1952, Fend approached Messerschmitt with the idea of manufacturing small motor vehicles. These were based on his Fend Flitzer invalid carriage.

The first of fend's vehicles to enter production at the factory in Regensburg of Messerschmitt was the KR175 . The title Kabinenroller means " Scooter with cabin ". While the name Messerschmitt and insignia were used on the car, a separate company, incorporated as Regensburger Stahl-und Metallbau GmbH, was created to manufacture and market the vehicle.

The KR200 replaced the KR175 in 1955. During the use of the same basic structure as the KR175 with changes to the bodywork (notably including cuts of the wheels in the front wings) and an improved design canopy, the KR200 was otherwise an almost total re-design. The suspension and the engine rear mounting were reworked, and hydraulic shock absorbers have been installed on the three wheels. Tire sizes were enlarged to 4.00 × 8.

Retail store for around DM 2,500, the KR200 was considered an instant success with almost 12,000 built during its first year. A maximum speed of over 90 km / h (56 mph) despite a power output demanded of only 10 HP (7,4 kW; 9.9 HP) reflected the light weight of the vehicle.

In 1956, Messerschmitt was allowed to manufacture aircraft again and lost interest in fend microcar. Messerschmitt sold the Regenburg works to Fend who, with brake and centre supplier Valentin Knott, formed Fahrzeug-und Maschinenbau GmbH Regensburg (FMR) to continue production of the KR200 and his other vehicles.

In 1957, the model KR200 Kabrio was released, with a canvas top and set frames of the side windows. This was followed by the KR201 Roadster without window frames, using a canvas roof folding, a windshield, and side curtains removable. A Sport Roadster was later offered with no top and with the canopy fixed into place so that the driver would have to go up and down on the top of the car.

The production of the KR200 was heavily reduced in 1962 and ceased in 1964 as sales had been falling for a few years. The transport demand basic economics in Germany had diminished as the German economy grew. A similar situation developed in other parts of Europe, as the largest destination of the exports of the manufacturer, the United Kingdom, where sales were particularly affected by the rise in popularity of the mini .

Record of 24 hours

In 1955, in order to demonstrate the durability of the KR200, Messerschmitt prepared a KR200 to break the speed record for 24 hours for three-wheeled vehicles under 250 cc (15.3 cu in). The car had a record of a single seat in the body of an aerodynamic profile special engine and a highly modified, but the suspension, steering, and components of braking out of stock. Cable of accelerator, brake and clutch are doubled. The self-registration took place at the Hockenheimring for 24 hours and broke 22 speed records international in its class, including the record of 24 hours the speed, that was set to 103 km / h (64 mph)

Messerschmitt Car Service

Messerschmitt, and subsequently FMR, made converted in the factory Service Cars to the extent for the industry of automotive service. Similar in concept to the Harley-Davidson Servi-Car and the indian Dispatch tow, the service car had a bar removable tow and clamp, and a front suspension revised to accommodate the drawbar when it is in use, and a storage system inside the car to accommodate the drawbar when not in use. The service technician would drive the service car to the customer's car and, if it is the customer's car was manageable, place the drawbar at the front of the car Service, attach the other end of the bar trailer on the bumper of the car of the client, and driving the customer's car to the garage. When the service was complete, he drive the car back to the customer to tow the car Service, separate the service from the car of the customer's car, and the trip back to the garage. Approximately 12 were built; only one is known to exist in the present.

Features

The KR200 incorporated several features unique to the line of KR and its derivative four-wheeled FMR TG500 . Externally, the narrow body, the transparent acrylic pavilion of the bubble and the low stance were some of the traits are more obvious.

Seats in tandem

The narrow-body, and the corresponding frontal area low, was achieved with seats in tandem, which also allows the body are narrowed as a fuselage of an aircraft, in a period practical. 10 HP (7,4 kW; 9,9 hp) propelled the KR200 to around 105 km / h (65 mph). The consumption of the car was 87 _mpg-imp (3.2 L/100 km).

The seats are in tandem also centralizes the mass of the car along the longitudinal axis which, combined with the low center of gravity, low weight, and the placement of the wheel at the ends of the car, gave the poor handling characteristics of KR200. A more minor advantage of tandem seating was that it made a version for export to countries that circulate on the left unnecessary. A model of "Export" was built, but this denotes a level of finish more luxurious.

The flag of the bubble

The entry to most KR models except the KR201 Sport Roadster and a version TG500 was through a hinged door canopy on the right side of the vehicle. The door included all the windows (windshield, window frames on all but the models Roadster, folding top models Roadster and KABRIO and bubble acrylic in other versions) and the framework in which it is established, that extends from the right side of the monocoque tub to the left. In the models Sport Roadster, the canopy was fixed and there was neither a top nor any windows at all, only a canvas cover.

The top of the bubble in the KR200 was simplified over that of the KR175 by the use of a windshield of curved glass great that is formed in the pillars with the frames of the side windows. This allowed the bubble to be more simple and more compact than the bubble KR175, and was, therefore, easier and less expensive to produce. The windshield wipers, manual on the KR175, was electric on the KR200.

Engine and transmission

The KR200 ran on a 191 cc (11.7 cu in) Fichtel & Sachs air-cooled single cylinder two-stroke engine positioning in front of the rear wheel, just behind the passenger seat. The engine had two sets of contact ignition points and, to reverse, the engine was stopped and restarted, going backwards. This is carried out by pressing the plus key in the ignition switch than normal, whether intentionally or not. One result of this was that sequential transmission of positive stop of the KR200 provides the car with the same four gear ratios available in reverse as in forward movement.

Controls

In addition to the ignition, dual-mode, the KR200 had a steering bar reminiscent of that of an airplane. Operated by pushing rather than by turning, the steering bar was connected directly to the track rods of the front wheels, providing an answer very directly that best suits the small contributions, measures. The shifter was a lever high on it which, when actuated, would put the car in neutral, regardless of what team he had been before, although the transmission would have to be moved back to the first before the car would be able to move from a dead point.

Unlike the KR175, the KR200 had a full set of pedals: clutch, brake and accelerator. The brake pedal still operated mechanical brakes using cables.