Messerschmitt KR175 three-wheeled car, under inspection at the national automotive registry

The Romanian Automotive Registry (RAR) posted photos of one of the nicest cars built in the 20th century, a car with three wheels and an 11 HP engine, a vehicle that could reach 80 km/h. The car was produced by Messerschmitt, a company known for its World War II aircraft.

The model brought by a Romanian for the RAR check is the first Kabinenroller variant (in adapted translation – cabin scooter) of the famous German aircraft manufacturer. The model made its debut in 1953, and in 1956 it was replaced by the KR200 variant, reads a post on the page of the Romanian Auto Registry.

The name comes from its single-cylinder 175cc two-stroke engine that develops 11 hp and a maximum torque of 12.75 Nm. The Messerschmitt KR175 has two steering wheels at the front and a single wheel at the rear which also provides traction. According to the manufacturer, the model could reach a maximum speed of 80 km/h. In the case of the present model, according to RAR, the paint was the authentic one.

These cars were designed by an aeronautical engineer named Fritz Fend, who lived until 2000. The company’s name comes from the engineer Wilhelm Emil “Willy” Messerschmitt who was born at the end of the 19th century and died in 1978.

Messerschmitt company was famous for its Bf 109 and Me 262 fighter planes, but after the war it was banned from producing aircraft for ten years, so it chose to make small machines.