Messerschmitt TG500

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Messerschmitt TG500
The four wheeled FMR Tg 500 at the Nürburgring in 1976
Production	1957 to 1961
Class	microcar
Body style(s)	open or closed two seat
Engine(s)	494 cc Fichtel & Sachs, 2 cylinder, 2 stroke
Transmission(s)	4 speed plus reverse
Wheelbase	1.885 metres (74.2 in)
Length	3.000 metres (118.1 in)
Width	1.270 metres (50.0 in)
Height	1.240 metres (48.8 in)
Designer	Fritz Fend

The Messerschmitt TG500, was a model of car built from 1957 to 1961, as a four-wheeled, high-performance version of Fritz Fend's Messerschmitt car. When economic recovery called for cars beyond the absolute minimum, the Messerschmitt KR200 enclosed motor scooter was turned into a sort of sports car. (A luxury car would have required a fresh start.) "TG" unofficially stood for Tiger. The "Tiger" name was claimed in Germany by Krupp who used it for a truck. (They had also made the better known Tiger tank). There were also a Panhard Dyna Z Tiger at the same time and a Sunbeam Tiger a little later.

Good car handling and a 90 mph (125 km/h) top speed were achieved by doubling the KR200s engine's cylinders to two and the power to 20 hp (15 kW), adding a fourth wheel, increasing the wheel size to 10 inches (250 mm) and slightly widening the track. Of course this increased the weight, which was now 350 kg (other sources say 305 or 370 kg). It was not a commercial success, but it helps to show how little power is needed for good performance, when weight and air drag are carefully kept down.

By this time, Messerschmitt returned to producing airplanes, and Fahrzeug- und Maschinenbau Regensburg (FMR) had taken over automobile production.

Although having four wheels halved the weight transfer on the front tires, the track was still less than the total height, so the handling was not outstanding. (The earliest Flitzer versions did not even have springs.) Since the performance appears to be comparable to that of early Bathtub Porsches, the lack of sales may have been due to the seating capacity and comfort, which were not up to even the Spartan sports car level.

Since these cars were designed by an aircraft engineer at a time when materials and equipment were the limitations, there is no reason to suppose that they were inexpensive to produce when labor costs began to rise. Fuel economy was apparently no better, probably due to engine efficiency, than that of the much bigger and more powerful Panhard Dyna Z of the same time, which needed 50 horsepower (37 kW) to reach a similar speed.