1959 FMR Tg 500 Four-Wheeled “Bubble Car”: The Messer Formerly Known As Schmitt

Crack open the bubbly, it’s a Messerschmitt! The star of the Great Bubble Car Era, which I would say lasted a good couple of decades, like 1945-65, was undoubtedly the iconic Isetta. But the one that actually had the goods was the four-wheeled Messer, the 300 SL of bubble cars. Let’s take a look at this 1959 Tg 500, but carefully — it’s a Tiger.

We’ve had the pleasure of seeing the Messerschmitt three-wheeler, including one I found in Tokyo a few years back. But this is the elusive 500cc four-wheeler, a true rarity that warrants its own post. I’m sure it’ll fit right in.

Quick potted history of the company, for those of you who didn’t pay attention in history class: Messerschmitt was Germany’s number one aircraft maker during the Second World War – their Bf 109 fighter was the second most-produced plane in history, with 34,000 units made. They also made the first jet fighter, the legendary Me-262. Suffice to say that, after 1945, the company was going to be falling on far leaner times.

Willy Messerschmitt (1898-1978) did do a two-year stint in prison for his wartime activities, but he was back at the helm of his firm by 1950. Only now, their main stock-in-trade was no longer allowed. Just like in Japan, where Nakajima reinvented itself into Fuji scooters and then Subaru, Messerschmitt elected to hack the wings off and focus on ground motorized transport, alongside a variety of other industrial goods (prefab houses, sewing machinesm etc.).

Enter Fritz Fend, an aircraft engineer who had worked on the Me-262. In 1947, he started a business to design and manufacture affordable transport, initially aimed at war veterans. By 1949, this had evolved into the Fend Flitzer, a three-wheeled contraption with a yoke for steering and a 98cc engine providing 2.5hp. In 1950, a sporty roadster variant appeared with a 4.5hp engine, enabling the Flitzer to reach a rather frightening top speed of 75kph. Fend’s problem was production – unable to meet demand, he went back to Messerschmitt so his concept, albeit more fleshed out, could be scaled up to series production.

In 1953, the Messerschmitt Kabinenroller (“scooter with a cabin”) KR175 was born. It had a 9hp 173cc Fichtel & Sachs two-stroke 1-cyl. located just ahead of the rear wheel, a chain drive and a 4-speed crashbox with no reverse gear. But the real show-stopper was the tandem seating and Plexiglas canopy, endowing the car with a huge amount of character. Improbably, the KR175 was a hit: over 15,000 were made in two years. In 1955, the KR200 took over. It now had 10hp and could reach speeds in excess of 90kph, but still had mechanical brakes. Nonetheless, it sold extremely well from the jump.

But by this time, Messerschmitt wanted out: West Germany had joined NATO and aircraft production was going to be allowed again. In 1956, Messerschmitt sold the Regensburg factory where the KR200 was manufactured to Fritz Fend, who formed the company Fahrzeug- und Maschinenbau Regensburg (FMR) to carry on building bubbles. Fend widened the range in 1958 with an soft-top version and a roadster-like “Sport”, but the real innovation was the Tiger.

The Tiger 500 was almost a completely different car from the KR200. The new car’s bubble canopy and the front end’s body were alike, but the chassis, drivetrain, engine, brakes and price were all quite dissimilar to its predecessor.

For a start, of course, the Tiger 500 got an extra wheel. But unlike, say, the Isetta or the Fuldamobil, which could be ordered with three or four wheels because said fourth wheel was effectively a twinned back wheel setup, the FMR’s rear wheels were on either side of the engine and transaxle. Suspension was independent all round and brakes were upgraded to a hydraulic system.

The engine was still a two-stroke Fichtel & Sachs joint, now a 493cc parallel twin churning out a whopping 20hp (DIN), now mated to a gearbox that included reverse. Given that the car weighed only 560kg fully loaded, this modest amount of power (though it is quite a lot, given the size of the engine) is sufficient to get one of these things up to 125kph – close to 80mph in old money.

One fly on the ointment was the name. “Tiger” was a registered trademark by Krupp in Germany and Panhard in France, so FMR could not use it in their advertising. This forced them to used this “Tg 500” moniker. Not ideal. Maybe they should have picked another feline. Cheetah, for instance?

Let’s climb aboard and see what the cockpit has to offer. Probably best not to attempt this if you’re too tall or too bulky. Or claustrophobic in any way…

Not much to write home about. The pedals are mercifully normal, but one does have to work with a gearbox that has no synchromesh whatsoever. Steering is said to be extremely direct – small inputs are the name of the game.

Bubbletop cars are notoriously hot in summer. And unlike the Toyota Sera, this one is not really suited to accommodate an aftermarket A/C. I photographed this car in May, which is still fine, temperature-wise. But from June to October, the Messerschmitt’s just not a viable option.

You theoretically could squeeze two very slim (and not too tall) people in the back seat. That’s bubble cars for you – cramped and cheerful. Germany in particular had a lot of small cars on its roads in the ‘50s, filled to the brim with happy owners who were just glad to be able to putter about without being out in the elements.

However, the streets weren’t exactly full of Tg 500s. The development and production costs must have been pretty steep, because these were actually quite expensive. Granted, they were also very quick – a feature that was very soon demonstrated on the track throughout the Federal Republic and beyond, but this just didn’t make it a compelling enough proposition. I think we should endeavour to figure out why by looking at a table, as see what the FMR brings to it.

Lots to choose from, in this segment. The VW sticks out with its larger engine, but that doesn’t make it roomier than the Lloyd or the Fiat. The Zündapp’s approach to the four-seater problem is mesmerizing, but it didn’t find its clientele. The BMW didn’t either, for the same reason as the FMR: just too expensive, when the tried and trusted VW was in the vicinity.

This impressive fauna of minimalistic automobiles was, by 1958, on borrowed time. The Treaty of Rome, i.e. the birth of the Common Market, was now in force – trade barriers were being lowered. Soon, Citroën 2CVs, Daf 600s and Autobianchis were going to be serious competitors in the lower end of the West German market. And tastes were changing, even as incomes were rising. By 1965, nearly every bubblecar in this table had disappeared – only the Glas Goggomobil managed to cling on to the very end of the ‘60s.

The FMR Tg 500, though, was done by 1961. In three short years, Fritz Fend understood that the formula that had worked so well for three wheels (and about 2200 DM) just couldn’t be scaled up to four wheels. Production numbers are the subject of a lot of discussion online, but one of the more commonly cited numbers is 320 units, of which about half still exist.

That’s a big fat dud for such a small light car. What a Mess of Schmitt.

 

Related Reading

Curbside Classic: 1959 FMR Messerschmitt KR200 – No Wing And A Prayer, by T87

Cohort Classic: FMR Messerschmitt Kabinenroller – The Scooter With A Cabin, by PN