Here’s the scenario… I’m at an open house surrounded by about $100 million worth of vintage iron. I’ve seen my first Porsche 904 Carrera GTS, an original 1973 911 2.7 RS, a 1969 Lamborghini 400 GT Islero S, and an absolutely gorgeous 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Superleggera. Fellow Associate Editor Bradley Brownell invited me to attend the European Collectibles annual open house in Costa Mesa, California.
The “kid in the candy store” hyperbole aside I was quite smitten to see what was offered, which is why I’m talking about todays sample: a 1962 Messerschmitt KR200 Bubble-Top.
After all this is Hooniverse…
Many here have talked about this car before. It was even featured in this year’s Hooniverse calendar. Humor me though, because this was the first time I’ve set eyes on one. Tandem seating, a Fichtel & Sachs single cylinder two-stroke engine producing 10 horsepower, and a top speed of 65 mph are its main stats. Microcars still have quite a quirky following and I totally get it, as they seem like they would be a complete blast to drive.
Sign me up, I need to know more… Where’s Professor Harrell?
[Images: Copyright 2015 Hooniverse/Jason Connor]
CYSK: 1962 Messerschmitt KR200 Bubble-Top
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Is the clock there to time your 0-60 runs? Also, I assume that’s the wiper motor above the radio? These are so cool, I just wonder what one would be like with a four-stroke. I imagine it would be a lot quieter, but also a lot less charming.
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Featured in “Brazil” with a little, er… embellishment.
http://www.imcdb.org/movie_88846-Brazil.html
http://pics.imcdb.org/0is522/brazil5mn5.769.jpg -
“Sign me up, I need to know more… Where’s Professor Harrell?”
Um, well, you see, the thing is I don’t know all that much about them from personal experience. I once had the chance to drive one at a microcar show in exchange for letting the owner drive my KV, but then we both got distracted giving rides to spectators and never managed to arrange the swap.
I do know the guy whose Messerschmitt is in this year’s calendar, so maybe there’s still hope for some seat time. -
By far the most sinister-looking microcar. Somehow it still manages to look like something out of a cartoon, but it’s the only one that’d be driven by a villain.
Somebody posted this here within the last year. I love it and watch it often to improve my mood on crappy days.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InlFaERcPeA-
Dutch sounds exactly like me speaking Mock Highland Scottish. Also, I swear I heard a Monty Python voice towards the end of that.
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I heard what sounded like Jeremy Clarkson drunk enough that he couldn’t enunciate hard consonant sounds.
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That was simple amazing! My family is from Holland and I’ve visited Zandvoort many many times. This just solidifies to me they always had the craziest events there.
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That looks like a real kick. Would love it if somewhere in central California did anything like this.
Wait!. Multiple LeMons events nearby. This’d be good Saturday night entertainment.
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My mother tells me she remembers these were popular in England for a while.
Until these turned up
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Morris_Mini-Minor_1959.jpg
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