An extraordinary, original, and 300-kilometer Italian-licensed Messerschmitt acquired from its original owners.

SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer: Metalmeccanica Italiana Valtrompio s.p.a.

Origin: Brescia, Italy

Production: est. 100

Motor: Motocarrozzetta 2-stroke

Displacement: 171.7 cc

Power: 9 hp

Length: 9 ft. 3 in.

Identification No. 30321

In November 1953, Metalmeccanica Italiana Valtrompio s.p.a., of Brescia, Italy, maker of Mi-Val motorcycles, took a license to produce the Messerschmitt KR 175. The company had begun as a manufacturer of machine tools, but technical director and engineer Ettore Minganti entered into partnership with gunsmith Pier Giuseppe Beretta, Giuseppe Benelli, and William Castelbarco Albani. The partners provided funding and technical support to create a new factory intended to produce cheap transportation, which was greatly in demand in post-war Italy.

In 1950, they embarked on the production of lightweight motorcycles. The first model, the 125T, was a near copy of the DKW 125. Taking the name Mi-Val, an acronym of the company title, the firm applied the marque to their products. Soon, they were among the most popular in Italy during the 1950s. Inexpensive but robust, they also began offering more upscale features in search of wider markets. Four-stroke models were also introduced in displacements of 125, 175, and 200 cubic centimeters, but these did not achieve the great popularity of the 125T. The company built its own engines, some featuring twin overhead cams. Others were supplied to Norman Cycles, of Britain, for the Nippy III moped.

Components for the Messerschmitt variant were imported from Germany, but Mi-Val used their own 171.7-cubic centimeter Motocarrozzetta two-stroke engine and production began towards the end of 1954. Christened “Mivalino,” the vehicle enjoyed a certain vogue. One was used as the personal transporter for Sam Lowry, played by Jonathan Pryce in the 1985 Terry Gilliam cult film Brazil. Rigged to look like it was powered by a small jet engine, the car was destroyed in a spectacular fire. Another Mivalino film cameo came in the 1991 Anjelica Huston movie The Addams Family, where it was driven by Cousin Itt. Production, however, was fairly short-lived, ending in 1955 or ’56, and it is believed that no more than 100 were built.

This Mivalino came from the family owning the oldest Ford dealership in Rome, which was also a Mi-Val dealer. As the original owners, they drove it barely 300 kilometers, which is the mileage it shows today. The archetypal “bubbletop” three-wheeler, it is in exceptional, original condition. Clearly undisturbed, it has a few blemishes on the brightwork, the marks of age. The light green paint, however, is in very good condition and holds an excellent shine. The drivetrain is clean, but it shows considerable patina, as does the interior, whose rubber floor mat has a few stains but no tears. Remarkably, the bubble canopy has endured no discoloration, scratches, or fractures.

All Mi-Val badging is intact, as are all instruments and even the handlebar grips. The original spare tire is housed in the tail. A most remarkable example of a very rare conveyance, this exceptional Mivalino is without peer in the entire realm of microcars. This example came into the ownership of the museum after an astonishing inquiry was made asking if the museum would be interested in acquiring the car, which had never been sold by the dealer’s family and never been titled! The tremendous documentation includes copies of some of the original promotional literature, the original certificate of origin from Metalmeccanica Italiana Valtrompio s.p.a., and other Italian language documents that typically do not remain with cars of any stature.