|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
improve the aerodynamics of the car rather than having the wider twin seats at the front combination. The two front wheels were controlled by handlebars and it had a single driven wheel. When Messerschmitt was asked to summarise his design in one word he replied, "weglassen" - a paring down of all but the essential parts. This can be seen in the vehicle with the small engine size that is compensated for by the body shape which helps minimise aerodynamic drag. At the time other 3-wheelers were far from aerodynamic. There was a legend that Messerschmitts were built from modified surplus cockpits for ME 109's but looking at the appearance this is false. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In 1955 the Messerschmitt KR200 was introduced. Whilst externally it looked the same it was now powered by a 191cc Sachs engine that gave the car a top speed of 65 mph and a fuel consumption of 87 mpg. In 1958 the Messerschmitt TG 500 (The Tiger) was launched. This was a 4-wheeler with a 500cc engine and a top speed of 89 mph Large numbers of KR200's were sold worldwide until production stopped in 1964. It is estimated that about 6,800 were imported into the UK of which about 1000 remain. |
||||||
|
Supporting Documents: |
||||||
|
None |
||||||
|
Related articles on this web site: |
||||||
|
Museums: |
||||||
|
There is a Messerschmit KR200 in the Forney Transportation Museum in Denver, Colorado, USA The Museum of Transport, Glasgow. Scotland. (UK) has a 1961 Messerschmitt KR200. |
||||||
|
Further Information and related Web Sites: |
||||||
|
Messerschmitt: www.messerschmitt.co.uk Messerschmitt: http://www.pcsystems.com/messerschmitt/mess.html Messerschmitt: www.messerschmitt.nl
. |
||||||
