Messerschmitt

1953

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The Messerschmitt KR 175, the first microcar, was invented by Fritz Fend, a onetime Luftwaffe engineer. After the war, he turned to designing wheelchairs, first with a hand-operated drive and later with a gasoline engine. The last version—the two-seat Fend 150—became the prototype of the Messerschmitt KR 175. When the Messerschmitt company was banned from producing military aircraft, which had been its main output for several years, it began to produce other things, including Fend’s so-called Kabinenrollers, or cabin-equipped scooters.

Max Speed

Weight

90

250

km/h

 

kg

1/3

Michael Furman © 2013 Courtesy of RM Auctions

Darin Schnabel © 2013 Courtesy of RM Auctions

© Getty Images

© Getty Images

Isetta

1953

© Courtesy of RM Auctions

Isetta

1953

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The Isetta was designed in 1953 by engineers Ermenegildo Preti and Pierluigi Raggi for the Italian firm Iso, a maker of refrigerators and scooters. The car had visual features of both and people joked about that. Iso’s chief, Renzo Rivolta, sold licenses for the manufacture of the vehicle to three companies—BMW, VELAM (France) and Romi (Brazil). BMW was the biggest and most enduring (until 1962) producer. The models of all the producers looked alike but differed significantly.

Max Speed

Weight

85

360

km/h

 

kg

© BMW

1/2

Darin Schnabel © 2013 Courtesy of RM Auctions

© BMW

© BMW

© BMW

Inter 175 Berline

1953—1958

© Darin Schnabel

Courtesy of RM Auctions

Inter 175 Berline

1953—1958

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This is yet another motorized scooter with a lift-back hatch. In profile the car resembles an airplane. Manufactured from 1954 through 1958 by French airplane manufacturer S.N.C.A.N., a number of models were mooted, but virtually all produced cars were two-seaters.

Max Speed

Weight

80

175

km/h

 

kg

1/3

Darin Schnabel © 2013 Courtesy of RM Auctions

Fuji Cabin

1955—1958

© Darin Schnabel

Courtesy of RM Auctions