If you don’t recognize it by name as the Messerschmitt Kabinenroller (Cabin Scooter) KR200, you certainly have seen examples of these wonderful little three-wheeled oddities pop up from time to time – like the 1957 Cabriolet found here on eBay. In fact, around 40,000 Messerschmitt KR200’s were produced by the famed airplane manufacturer in Regensburg, Germany from 1955 to 1964 – and they are as popular as ever for collectors, museums, and micro-car enthusiasts.

The man behind the design was German aeronautical engineer Fritz Fend, a Luftwaffe technical officer during World War II, who began to focus his talents on much more humane projects after the German loss. With a newly opened workshop in 1946, Fend began building new modes of transportation for soldiers whose injuries left them physically challenged. His first was a motorized, three-wheeled, covered scooter called the Fend Flitzer, and is the early obvious forerunner to the KR200.

In 1952, Fend took his KR200 design to famed aircraft builder Messerschmitt – who geared up for mass production in early 1953, and began tooling, changing, re-designing, and re-tooling until mid 1953 – just as this early model (called the KR175) started to gain momentum and respect for its surprising roadworthiness and stability. Two years later, in 1955, an almost completely updated KR200 hit the roads – an instant success with over 12,000 units sold in its first year alone! Since Germany was recovering from the devastation of the war, demand for a relatively inexpensive to own and operate commuting car made Fend’s design a winner.

However, as Germany’s economy came back into full swing a decade later, their tastes for cars returned to more full-sized models. Production was dramatically slashed starting in 1962 and shut down completely in 1964. The KR200 seen here most likely originated in Glendale, CA – from the US’s only dealer – but the seller notes it spent most of its life in “…Kennebunkport Maine, where the man used it to drive around that town.” It seems to have virtually all of its original parts and details – including the original Sachs 200cc 2-stroke scooter engine. Perhaps an offer in the high teens would get you a great, odd, fun three-wheeled bit of transportation history!