FMR Tg 500 - the tiger among cabin scooters

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FMR Tg 500 - the tiger among cabin scooters

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Created on February 20, 2022

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

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Darin Schnabel - Courtesy RM Auctions 2012

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Bruno von Rotz

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Archiv

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FMR Tg 500 (1959) - the driver sits in the middle

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FMR Tg 500 (1959) - the spare wheel hangs outside

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FMR Tg 500 (1959) - the "Tiger" was said to have miraculous performances in the slalom

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FMR Tg 500 (1959) - sporty camber on the rear axle

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FMR Tg 500 (1959) - together with the Messerschmitt KR200, the differences in appearance are minor

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FMR Tiger TG 500 (1959) - Indianapolis Oerlikon 2018

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FMR Tg 500 (1959) - the wheels are larger than on the Messerschmitt KR200, but still small

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FMR Tg 500 (1959) - in roadster configuration

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FMR Tg 500 (1959) - the "Tiger" had twice as much power as the normal Messerschmitt "Karo"

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FMR Tg 500 (1959) - even today, the "Tiger" can still follow almost anything on the country road

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FMR Tg 500 (1959) - wiping is also allowed on the Roadster

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FMR Tg 500 (1959) - the trademark changed from rings to diamonds

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FMR Tg 500 (1959) - Fritz Fend's signature on the Tiger

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FMR Tg 500 (1959) - the additional fourth rear wheel was the most clearly visible difference to the normal Messerschmitt cabin scooter

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FMR Tg 500 (1959) - access via service hatch, the engine is one floor down

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FMR TG 500 "Tiger" (1959) - at the "Zurich Classic Car Award 2019" Concours

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FMR KR 200 (1957) - Cabin scooter under the glass dome

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FMR KR 200 (1961) - as a convertible with car radio equipment

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Messerschmitt Tiger (1957) - International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt 1957 - Same track front and rear

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Messerschmitt Tiger TG 500 (1957) - the fastest Messerschmitt cab scooter

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FMR Tg 500 (1958) - early version of the fast cabin scooter "Tiger" with four wheels

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FMR Tg 500 (1961) - the four-wheeled tiger with a domed roof

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FMR Tg 500 (1959) - Tiger with all-weather top

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FMR Tg 500 (1959) - the Tiger as a roadster

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FMR Tg 500 (1958) - also available as a roadster

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FMR Tg 500 (1958) - Engine easily accessible, claims the sales brochure

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FMR Tg 500 (1958) - Advertisement for the Tiger

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F.M.R. Tg 500 'Tiger' (1958) - offered at the auction of the Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum by RM Auction on February 15 and 16, 2013

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F.M.R. Tg 500 'Tiger' (1958) - offered at the auction of the Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum by RM Auction on February 15 and 16, 2013

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F.M.R. Tg 500 'Tiger' (1958) - offered at the auction of the Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum by RM Auction on February 15 and 16, 2013

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Summary

Driving performance like a sports car for the price of a small car? This is exactly what the FMR Tg 500 promised when it was launched in 1957. Teething troubles and a waning enthusiasm for cabin scooters made life difficult for it, despite its sporting success, so that only a few examples were produced. Today, these are more sought-after than many a Ferrari. And they are fun anyway. This vehicle report tells the short history of the fast four-wheel cabin scooter and shows it in current and historical pictures as well as in the sales literature of the time.

This article contains the following chapters

A high-flyer
Advance praise
Birth of pincers
In the fast lane
Beaten under value in racing
No commercial success
A rarity today
Aircraft feeling on the ground

Estimated reading time: 8min

Preview (beginning of the article)

With the Messerschmitt KR 200, Fritz Fend had created a popular cabin scooter that combined aircraft looks with frugal drinking habits and practical driving performance. However, the Messerschmitt was not fast enough for some, including the spiritual father of the small car himself. In September 1957, Fritz Fend consequently presented his idea of a significantly faster cabin scooter, the Tiger, at the IAA in Frankfurt. The two-seater not only had an additional wheel, but also one more cylinder. The two-stroke 493 cm3 engine designed by Fichtel & Sachs but extensively modified by Fend produced 19.5 hp (24.5 hp in the sports version).

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