The Fend Flitzer was a three-wheeled invalid carriage designed and built by Fritz Fend. The Flitzer established many of the basic concepts on which Fend's later Messerschmitt Kabinenroller microcars were developed.
In 1948, Fend, a former aeronautical engineer and technical officer in the Luftwaffe, [1] began production of a tricycle invalid carriage in his workshop in Rosenheim, Germany. [2] [3] [4] The tricycle had a front wheel that was steered by handlebars and powered by a mechanism actuated by pushing back and forth on the handlebars. Shortly afterward, it was offered with a 38 cc (2.3 cu in) Victoria two-stroke proprietary engine normally used for motorizing bicycles. [2]
Fend then designed the Flitzer, a larger, better-enclosed invalid carriage. It was designed from the start to be powered by a gasoline engine. Whereas the earlier tricycle was both steered and powered by a single front wheel, the Flitzer had a pair of front wheels linked to the steering mechanism and a powered rear wheel. [2]
The Flitzer was made with aluminium panels over a steel frame [2] and was enclosed at the front, sides, and back.[ citation needed] It had a hatch at the top that was hinged at the front and tilted forward for the operator to get in. [2] The first version of the Flitzer was open, with a hole and a windshield in the hatch for the operator's head and shoulders to stick through and be protected from the wind.[ citation needed] Flitzers made from September 1948 into 1950 [3] were powered by a 98 cc (6.0 cu in) Fichtel & Sachs two-stroke engine. [2] [3] [4] Suspension was by rubber springs loaded in torsion. [2]
In 1950 the engine was changed to a 100 cc (6.1 cu in) Riedel/Imme engine. [2] [3] [4] By 1951, in response to customer requests for passenger-carrying capability, a scooter-type saddle was placed above the rear enclosure with footrests on either side of the body. [2] A closed version, on which the hatch had an enclosure that covered the operator, was made available. The enclosure included the windshield and side windows. [2] [3]
About 250 Flitzers had been built when production stopped in 1951. Many of these invalid carriages had been bought by able-bodied individuals seeking basic personal transport. [2] This led Fend to believe that there would be a mass market for a larger, transport-oriented version of the Flitzer. [5] Fend began to design and develop a two-seat vehicle similar in concept to the Flitzer. [3] He also began looking for a manufacturer to mass-produce this vehicle. He came to an agreement with Messerschmitt for them to build Fend vehicles in their factory at Regensburg [3] [5] Part of the agreement was that the cars carried the Messerschmitt name, with Fend's new design being designated the Messerschmitt KR175. [3] [6]