Few post-war vehicles capture the spirit of ingenuity and austerity-era innovation quite like Messerschmitt’s iconic Kabinenroller.

Instantly recognisable and eternally evocative, the diminutive bubble car stands today as one of the most celebrated microcars ever produced.

Denied the manufacture of aircraft in the aftermath of the Second World War, Messerschmitt redirected its formidable engineering expertise toward compact personal transport.

Introduced in 1953 as the ‘Fend’—named after co-designer Fritz Fend—the model soon adopted the Messerschmitt name, coinciding with the adoption of a more potent 174cc Fichtel & Sachs single-cylinder two-stroke engine in place of the earlier 148cc unit.

Mounted at the rear, the 9bhp motor endowed the lightweight and aerodynamically efficient KR175 with performance of up to 55mph - remarkable for its class.

The defining feature, of course, is the aircraft-inspired Plexiglas canopy, hinged laterally to allow entry for its two occupants seated i...