Messerschmitt Kabinenroller

The motor scooter was an ideal concept for sunny southern Europe. And it wasn’t long before the bubble car – a micro-vehicle powered by a motorcycle engine was introduced for the cooler, rainier climate of northern Europe. These cars were mostly three-wheelers – because this type of vehicle doesn’t need a heavy, expensive differential. Fritz Fend designed the vehicle after Messerschmitt was denied permission to continue producing aircraft after the war.

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Messerschmitt Kabinenroller

Willy Messerschmitt decided to produce the three-wheeled vehicle. As an aircraft designer, Fend made the car look like an aircraft cockpit. Two occupants, the passenger behind the driver, sat under a Plexiglas dome (or a folding canopy). The steering wheel was replaced by a kind of joystick. Messerschmidt called this bubble car the “Kabinenroller.”