Rare microcars a screen to Europe's past

Cars like the three-wheeled German Messerschmitt KR-175 were a product of a time when families needed to spend less on small cars that could more easily navigate overcrowded cities. With lengths of under 10 feet and engines smaller than 750 cc, microcars made this possible. As the newest York Times puts it, nevertheless, function has given way to form. The forward-thinking design of European microcars has made them really popular for collectors and automotive historians. Source for this article – Microcars have come a long way by Car Deal Expert.

Microcars – Futuristic style and practical purpose

Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, The United States started driving larger cars. Automotive advertising led to this change. In Europe, the opposite was true. Microcars started showing up there. “These vehicles were a response to desperate conditions,” microcar historian Peter Svilans told the Times. The front of the auto of the Italian Isetta had egg shaped doors for entry when the German Messerschmitt KR-175 had three wheels at first. These design touches impressed most auto enthusiasts around. Near Atlanta you can visit the Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum. This museum shows just how amazing these microcars really are.

Since 1991, Weiner has collected numerous microcars. He told the Times that microcars aren’t easy to obtain.

“With microcars, you do not just show up with a wad of cash and say sell it to me,” he said. “In Europe, they mean something more. It is like you showing up and asking me to sell my dad’s watch.”

Having fun with a microcar just like a toy is wrong

Microcars may appear to be giant-sized children’s playthings, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Modern crash safety standards are not in any of these cars although the vehicles can go super fast, such as the French Rovin Z-4. The driver’s body would be in some serious trouble if having crashed in the auto. There is hardly any crumple zone so the body would absorb all of the force.

Microcar halted being made with monetary prosperity

Within the mid 20th century, Europe had lots of economic troubles. Once these issues had been fixed, there was more of a vehicle mass production. By the early 1960s, safer, more powerful Volkswagen, Renault and Fiat autos began to appear in greater numbers. The “small wonder” that is microcars became increasingly obsolete. Microcars only exist anymore because of museums. The Messerschmitt is one of these. Today, only 50 KR-175s are known to exist.

Citations

New York Times

nytimes.com/2010/10/14/automobiles/autospecial2/14MICRO.html