KR 200

Bubble car

** It was in 1952 that Prof. Messerschmitt first came into contact with the ‘Kabinenroller’ or bubble car. **

Fritz Fend from Rosenheim, Germany, who had originally developed the bubble car – nicknamed ‘Karo’ – as a vehicle for disabled war veterans, had continued to work on his design and was now on the lookout for suitable production facilities.

The basic concept for the vehicle was to create a two-seater motorbike with a canopy that would provide protection against the elements and a more stable three- or four-wheel design. With a price tag of DM 2,375.00, this offered a good alternative to other cars, which were much more expensive. The KR 175 was launched in March 1953 and was followed just two years later by the more advanced KR 200. The vehicle had a top speed of around 100 km/h and a fuel consumption of approximately 3 litres per 100 km. In total, around 60,000 KR 200s were built, 12,000 of these in 1955 alone.

MESSERSCHMITT MUSEUM OF FLIGHT

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KR 200

SERVICE HISTORY

TWO MESSERSCHMITT KR 200 BUBBLE CARS (YELLOW / BLUE)

The bubble car (yellow) arrived at the Museum of Flight in 1998 on loan from a private lender as part of the celebrations to mark the founder’s 100th birthday. It was bought by EADS in 2000 and is now the oldest registered company vehicle belonging to Airbus (the successor of EADS).

The bubble car (blue) was manufactured in 1962 by the Fahrzeug- und Maschinenbau (FMR) Company in Regensburg.
The Messerschmitt Foundation acquired the vehicle body including a large parts package from a private individual in Berlin in 2012. The parts were then handed over to a restorer, who restored the vehicle to roadworthy condition by 2013 and was subsequently able to register it. The KARO was then handed over to the care of the Messerschmitt Museum of Flight.