Introduced in 1953 as the 'Fend', after its co-designer Fritz Fend, the Messerschmitt Kabinenroller microcar was soon being marketed under its manufacturer's name.

Later models carried the diamond-shaped FMR badge, standing for Fahrzeug und Maschienenbau GmbH Regensburg .

The four-wheeled Tg500 cabriolet offered is closely related to the more frequently encountered Messerschmitt KR200 three-wheeler, albeit endowed with considerably greater performance courtesy of its 490cc twin-cylinder two-stroke engine.

Only some 60-or-so Tg500s are believed to survive.

One of seven Tg-500s originally allocated to the Canadian market, this example was lovingly maintained by a previous owner for nearly 20 years before being acquired for the celebrated Bruce Weiner Microcar Collection in Madison, Georgia, only recently dispersed.

Completely restored while at the Weiner Collection, the car displayed a total of circa 21,500 miles on the odometer when purchased at auction in 1997 and was described in...