Designed by Fritz Fend and manufactured at the Messerschmitt factory in Regensburg, Germany, the Messerschmitt microcar bore the designation KR for Kabinenroller, or “enclosed scooter.” That was exactly what it was: a motor scooter, complete with a rear-mounted two-stroke engine, tandem seating, and yoke-style steering bars, but with enclosed bodywork and pontoon-style fenders that gave it a chipmunk-cheeked, wide-eyed personality all its own. All microcars had a charm about them, but the Messerschmitt was unique in combining that charm with good build quality and some level of comfort. In fact, advertising depicted a happy family of three traveling in one of the cars, bragged of “Limousine comfort”—not quite, but it was surprisingly roomy for its size—and noted that the Messerschmitt had become “famous throughout the world for its unusual and appealing design.”

With a booming European market for tiny, economical automobiles, the car was in production in numerous variations and body styles from 1953 until 1964. It remains one of the best-known examples of its type, and was one of the most successful microcars produced worldwide, with well over 40,000 copies sold all over the world.

The Messerschmitt KR 200 offered here is a later-production example that features the larger 10-horsepower Fichtel & Sachs 191cc engine, as well as the iconic Messerschmitt body style with a tinted Plexiglas bubble top, hinged for entry and egress, fondly if irreverently known to enthusiasts as “the butter dish” or “Snow White’s coffin.”

This KR 200 was restored under prior ownership, and the quality and attention to detail of this work is evident in its excellent overall condition today. Its Wedgewood Blue finish and red vinyl interior remain clean and crisp, and its tiny rear engine compartment—into which the Sachs engine is nestled—is very tidy. Acquired for the Dare to Dream Collection in 2013, it is accompanied by a manual, as well as Messerschmitt Owner’s Club magazines and handbook.

A Messerschmitt, for obvious reasons, is one of the most popular automobiles in any collection—friends and family inevitably fall in love with it, and few vehicles are more capable of turning heads at shows, both local and national. To drive this example is to see happy waves and smiles wherever one ventures.