The Messerschmitt cab scooter was a scooter mobile designed by German engineer Fritz Fend. The first mobiles were called Fend Flitzer and were manufactured in Rosenheim before series production of the KR 175 began in January 1953 at Messerschmitt’s Regensburg plant (Regensburger Stahl- und Metallbau).

Fend had initially developed his “speedsters” as single-seaters with three wheels for people with disabilities. The first vehicles of 1948 were still driven like a so-called Dutchman by moving the steering lever back and forth, before experiments began with a 38 cc auxiliary bicycle engine with one horsepower from Victoria. This was soon followed by a drive from Fichtel & Sachs with 98 cc and 2.5 hp; 98 of this type, now called the Flitzer 100, were built from March 1949 to March 1950. This was followed by the installation of a Riedel engine from the Imme motorcycle with 98 cm³ and 4.5 hp, which helped the vehicle to reach a top speed of 75 km/h in 154 units built until December 1951. The initial bicycle wheels were replaced by stronger-tyred wheelbarrow wheels in the front with the motorization. The first buyer of a Fend Flitzer was a paraplegic from Offenbach. The manufacturer of the first vehicles was Fend Kraftfahrzeug GmbH, based in Munich.

At the beginning of 1955, the KR 200 appeared with a 10.2 hp engine (191 cm³) and a top speed of about 90 km/h. Like an automobile, the KR 200 had three pedals (clutch, brake, accelerator) and on the inside right of the vehicle was the gear lever with “sequential” ratchet shift: pull back = downshift, push forward = upshift. The first gear is at the rear. To go backwards, the two-stroke engine is started in reverse. When the ignition key is inserted and turned, the engine turns clockwise and all four gears can be used to drive forward. When the ignition key is inserted and simultaneously pressed and turned, the engine runs counterclockwise. This means that you can drive in reverse in all gears, theoretically as fast in reverse as in forward. A mechanical reverse gear was available at extra cost.

There was the version with a Rhenalon hood, a transparent plastic hood that could be rolled. In fine weather, the hood was to be stowed in the trunk above the engine and, if necessary, mounted in a few easy steps. However, within a very short time it became apparent that UV radiation and the heat generated in the trunk caused the hood to lose its elasticity. When trying to roll the hood, the material tore. In a recall campaign, the hoods were replaced with a version made of Plexiglas. The brochures for the first variant of the KR 200 that had already been printed were not cancelled, however, but the relevant areas on the back were blacked out. In September 1956, the KR 201 appeared as an “economy version” of the KR 200, a roadster variant without side windows and with a scissor top for an additional charge.

Contemporarily, the interior was available with imitation snakeskin, and various parts were chrome-plated. However, this type of vehicle is quite rare to find in its original form today. In 1958, a convertible version of the KR 200 appeared. The top was stretched with three bows and fastened to the hood frame with snap fasteners. It was now possible to drive the car with a plexiglass hood in winter and use a convertible in summer with little effort.

In the same year, the entry-level model, the KR 200 Sport, was launched. The vehicle was not equipped with a folding entrance and a glass windshield, so that it could be offered for a price of 2200 DM. It is unclear how many of these economy versions were actually sold, but it is probably the rarest variant.

To prove the reliability of the cabin scooter, a Messerschmitt KR 200 took off for a record 24-hour run at the Hockenheimring on August 29, 1955. The slightly modified open vehicle, designated “Super,” had only a narrow cockpit opening with a small windshield instead of the standard Plexiglas dome and a so-called head rib behind the driver to reduce air turbulence. Higher compression and higher revs boosted the output of the 200 cc engine to about 13 hp, and the three upper gears were more closely spaced than in stock, reaching about 80 mph in second gear, 100 in third, and over 120 in fourth. Top speed was said to have been 130-140 km/h. To avoid having to interrupt the test by failure and repair of operating parts, the cables for throttle, clutch and brake were installed twice. The vehicle also had a 30-liter gasoline tank behind the driver and two lead plates under the seat as 60 kg ballast, which was mandatory for the record. Otherwise, the KR 200 “Super” largely corresponded to the series.

Six drivers took turns during the 24-hour drive, among them the designer Fritz Fend and the journalist H. W. Bönsch, as well as H. Rathjens, H. Stumm, K. Eisele and H. Schwind. They set 25 records over different distances and times, breaking the previously existing world records in the 350 cc class over 1000 miles, over 2000 km and with an average speed of 103 km/h over 24 hours. The record over two hours was set at 108 km/h.