Body: steel tubular frame with steel panels
Engine: 494cc FMR air cooled two stroke twin cylinders
19.9 HP
Gears: 4
81mph
Approximately 300 produced.
With demand for more conventional cars increasing, Fend aimed to address this with the development of the four wheeled TG500. As FMR had taken over production from Messerschmitt in 1956 and this was a new car, it was badged an FMR. Originally intended to be badged the Tiger, this plan had to be dropped as the name was registered to Krupp, however, TG was used as an abbreviation and the car was widely referred to by enthusiasts as the Tiger regardless. An extremely desirable and rare model highly, regarded by enthusiasts.

The Tg 500: After the KR200 model variants were introduced, tests on the first four wheeled KaRo- the “Tiger” began in September 1957. The sales were aimed at existing KR 200 owners who had developed a faithful following in Germany with the many Karo Clubs. For legal reasons, the “Tiger” could only be called the “Tg” Only 198 examples can be traced of which 160 are known to exist today. The most sought after of Messerschmitts, (though it never bore that name – it was normally registered as an FMR). Sports-car handling and high top speed brought many rally successes in the early sixties, particularly at the hands of Ken Piper. It was so good that the Rally organisers sought to exclude it from competition events where it took on all comers, including the most exotic sports-cars. It has a 460cc air-cooled twin 2-stroke engine, nominally of 26bhp though most have been up-rated now. A Fichtel & Sachs design with four forward and a reverse gearbox with integral differential.

It was seen in all four body variants available on the KR200. With only 26 examples in the U.K. prices are extremely high and around three times that of a KR200. It’s great but somewhat unreliable compared to a KR200.

Ingineur Adeuard Ernst was responsible for development of the engine within FMR and local manufacture of components in small batches meant that specials could be made to suit specific requirements. Ernst made many tests personally and developed the Tg for competition. Eventually he became frustrated with developing Tg?s for other people and asked Fend if he could have a Tg for himself. This car was built from components especially for competitive use and did not have the ?portholes? in the rear engine covers that are a feature of all Tg?s. There was no upholstery and a ?sport? type top was fitted with the characteristic racing type half screen. This is believed to be the only known example of a Tg with the ?sport? top. Now owned by MOC member Colin Archer, this car is finished in distinctive metallic red and silver paint that is believed to be 1950?s BMW colours. Colin has gone to a lot of trouble to restore the car to original external appearance. He even traced the original ?sport? top to renowned German Messerschmitter, Bernd K?gler. Careful negotiations eventually re-united the original top with the Tg.

Particular attention was given to Tg gearboxes where many different ratios were produced to suit the various competitive events the Tg took part in. These were never offered publicly and only those supported by the factory had access to such special services. Some came to Britain and Ken Piper demonstrated their effectiveness very well in the various Tg?s he entered competitively. Another competitive driver by the name of Hans Wiesnet demonstrated his considerable driving skills in regularly beating Fritz Fend in driving events. Hans was deeply involved with the Messerschmitt from the beginning particularly with developing the KR175 and he owned the ninth KR175 to be produced. Tg owners today are much better served thanks to the efforts of Heiko Zimmermann. The crankshaft he helped to develop is significantly stronger than the original and is less prone to catastrophic failure. Another interesting discovery is the variation in ignition timing caused by the crankshaft deflection under load. This causes some variation in the ignition timing that can be avoided by fitting electronic systems using sensors rather than a crankshaft mounted cam with contact breakers. However, the Tg engine remains a temperamental beast requiring special care to avoid piston seizure and other engine damage. Bert Grimmer is developing a freewheel system for the Tg that will avoid the shuddering effect of the engine and transmission during over-run. This system was used on other two-strokes such as DKW and Trabant. Two strokes have little engine braking and smoothness is improved considerably with this device. MOC member Russel Church has arranged manufacture of new cylinder heads to correct a well known Tg weakness with blown head gaskets. These dedicated people are continuing to develop this engine, completing the work that FMR should have done!

After the KR200 model variants were introduced, tests on the first four wheeled KaRo- the “Tiger” began in September 1957. The sales were aimed at existing KR 200 owners who had developed a faithful following in Germany with the many Karo Clubs. For legal reasons, the “Tiger” could only be called the “Tg”, (Tiger was also used by Sunbeam and Panhard). Only 198 examples can be traced of which 160 are known to exist today. The most sought after of Messerschmitts, (though it never bore that name – it was normally registered as an FMR). Surprisingly, the car cannot be called a Messerschmitt because it was built by FMR and this company was not authorised to apply that name to anything but the KR175, KR 200, and KR201. You will not see the Messerschmitt scrip badge applied to the lifting section on a Tg. Sports-car handling and high top speed brought many rally successes in the early sixties, particularly at the hands of Ken Piper. It was so good that the Rally organisers sought to exclude it from competition events where it took on all comers, including the most exotic sports-cars. It has a 460cc air-cooled twin 2-stroke engine, nominally of 26bhp though most have been up-rated now. A Fichtel & Sachs design with four forward and a reverse gearbox with integral differential.

It was seen in all four body variants available on the KR200. With only 26 examples in the U.K. prices are extremely high and around three times that of a KR200. Although externally similar to the KR200, there is almost nothing the same. The lifting section is perhaps the only large component which is identical. In the late sixties and early seventies there was no organised parts service for the Tgs. A few owners said that good KR200 could be a close match to a Tg when it came to handling and acceleration through the gears. In addition, the U.K. the road tax applied to four wheeled vehicles was a serious consideration. Much more is known now about the performance and development of the engine and the improved designs of the later models have been applied to the early ones. Most now have uprated engines so the comment that a good KR200 is a close match, no longer applies.

The Tg500 was always difficult to obtain parts for, although surprisingly, the parts today are easier to obtain than they were during the years of production. This is thanks to the efforts of Heiko Zimmermann, from Neuss, Germany. Heiko has owned Tg500s for many years and organises spare parts for the remaining 199 documented production cars. Some years ago he produced a detailed history of every known vehicle, a task which represents hundreds of hours of work!

The engine is a 460cc twin cylinder two stroke which develops 23bhp. This does not make it much faster than the KR200, the wind resistance from those large rear wings see to that! The gearbox is conventional and similar to many vehicles of that era. Gear changes are hampered by the lack of Synchromesh, something that we take for granted in todays cars. The engine was originally a Fichtel & Sachs design but was manufactured by FMR from components provided by outside specialist suppliers. It is thought that around 700 were made, these being used in the Australian Zeta sportscar and the Kultimax agricultural vehicle. The design is very similar to the Goggomobil and NSU engines of the same era. Unlike the KR200, the engine comes apart vertically, leaving all the components sitting in the lower engine half. The aluminium castings are very poor quality and great care must be taken when tightening any engine bolts as stripped threads are a constant hazard. A torque wrench is an essential tool for working on the engine.

A number of replicas have been built with authentic sounding versions using a Trabant engine and gearbox. Others have used Renault 4 cylinder units that are quiet and reliable but lack the authentic two-stroke sound.

My recent acquisition of a Tg500 after 29 years of owning and driving a range of KR 200s prompted me to write a few words about the car and its differences from the three wheeled models which inspired its conception.

For many years I have avoided becoming interested in the Tg500 as it always seemed out of reach for various reasons. In the sixties when I saw my first one, I soon realised that although it was externally similar to the KR200, there was almost nothing the same. The lifting section is perhaps the only large component which is identical. In the late sixties and early seventies there was no organised parts service for the Tgs and my enthusiasm for them was dulled by the comments from various former owners that a good KR200 could be a close match to a Tg when it came to handling and acceleration through the gears. In addition, the U.K. the road tax applied to four wheeled vehicles was a serious consideration. Much more is known now about the performance and development of the engine and the improved designs of the later models have been applied to the early ones.

It came as a big surprise to find that the car cannot be called a Messerschmitt because it was built by FMR and this company was not authorised to apply that name to anything but the KR175, KR 200, and KR201. You will not see the Messerschmitt scrip badge applied to the lifting section on a Tg. During my first trip to Germany in 1968,(with a schmitt of course). I had my first opportunity to buy one. The Frankfurt / Offenbach Karofreunde looked after us well and included a trip to a scrapyard where there was a rough looking example which was said to be roadworthy. From memory, this was priced at around ?40! but not a practical proposition on the low income I had at the time. The next opportunity was in January 1971, when returning from a holiday in Austria, I called in at the FMR facory in Lilienthalstrasse, Regensburg. At that time I did not speak more than a few words of German. In spite of that, my interest was enough to prompt the works management to offer me the factory race prepared car which had rested three metres up on top of the parts racking in the company of a KR 175 and a Fend Flitzer. For the equivalent of ?200 they would prepare the car for me to drive it back to the U.K. Again, sense prevailed and attractive though it was, it would never be a practical road car. Since then, I have had the opportunity to drive several different Tgs. They have always been regarded as an expensive car and that certainly has not changed over the years.

The Tg500 was always difficult to obtain parts for, although surprisingly, the parts today are easier to obtain than they were during the years of production. This is thanks to the efforts of Heiko Zimmermann, from Neuss, Germany. Heiko has owned Tg500s for many years and organises spare parts for the remaining 199 documented production cars. Two years ago he produced a detailed history of every known vehicle, a task which represents hundreds of hours of work!

The engine is a 460cc twin cylinder two stroke which develops 23bhp. This does not make it much faster than the KR200, the wind resistance from those large rear wings see to that! The gearbox is conventional and similar to many vehicles of that era. Gear changes are hampered by the lack of Synchromesh, something that we take for granted in todays cars. The engine was originally a Fichtel & Sachs design but was manufactured by FMR from components provided by outside specialist suppliers. It is thought that around 700 were made, these being used in the Australian Zeta sportscar and the Kultimax agricultural vehicle. The design is very similar to the Goggomobil and NSU engines of the same era. Unlike the KR200, the engine comes apart vertically, leaving all the components sitting in the lower engine half. The aluminium castings are very poor quality and great care must be taken when tightening any engine bolts as stripped threads are a constant hazard. A torque wrench is an essential tool for working on the engine.

This car was originally owned by Testwood Motors of Southampton and was driven in some competitive events by Bill Street, the owner of the Company. Later it was driven with great success by Ken Piper, a well known Tg competitive driver of the sixties. Documents supplied with the car show a number of outstanding results in hill climb trials against large engined sports cars of the day including Porsche. It can be seen in one of the competitive events in Messerschmitt Gold Portfolio.

The car was later sold to Roger Garnett, a Midlands car dealer. Roger took the car on the MOC trip to Norway in 1963 accompanied by Mike Dan. Mike is the source of many excellent photographs of 500 BOR and many other atmospheric shots of the sixties. The car then changed ownership again to the then MOC Treasurer, Geoff Robinson. I first met Geoff in 1967 when I went to my first Club Commitee meeting at Malvern, Worcestershire. This was a 220 mile return journey in my KR200. Geoff picked up the Clubs finances at a time when they had been severely depleted by the dividing of the M.O.C. into two separate Clubs. Under his careful control the Club began to grow again and the later liaison with M.O.C. (London and South East), under the leadership of Lest Tilbury, led to the development of the excellent parts service we have today.

I first saw 500 BOR on an M.O.C. run to Crich Tramway Museum, Derbyshire, in 1971. Apart from some accident damage on the left hand front wing, it was in very good condition. Although it was originally finished in white, the car was resprayed Ford Sunset Red before 1964. The log book says it was originally blue and white though there is almost no evidence of this. After thirty years in red, it is to retain this colour when resprayed but with the original works shade of Monza red. When photographed racing in the early sixties, the car is shown with a “sport” type top. That is fixed sides with a small perspex windscreen and a tonneau cover. When this was finally removed at the end of its racing career, the car received a KR 200 lifting section which appears to have been accident damaged. This was previously blue and I suspect the original top was used to repair a damaged KR200 during the early racing days at Testwood Motors.

The engine was reputed to be much modified to achieve extra power, this did not help with driveability, and the engine was said to be prone to overheating. The modifications are detailed below:-
1. Carburrettor throat increased to 30mm. This would allow more air into the engine.
2. Carburrettor jets increased in size for first, second, and third stage throttle opening.
3. Modified crankshaft, similar to the “Full Circle” type now available as a brand new item. However, the crankshaft fitted had reduced clearances less than the above type. The counterbalance weights taking up most of the Crankcase area.
4. Reduced area below the piston. This was filled with a plastic resin type material, similar to body filler. There was just enough space to allow the pistons to reach bottom dead centre, thus achieving maximum crankcase compression. This modification was removed during the recent engine overhaul as the plastic had begun to break up.
5. Multiple seal pack on the clutch side, this was to correct a well known Tg. fault of burning gearbox oil. It is very common to see one of the twin exhaust pipes smoking profusely, while the other remains clean. To prevent this, the seal is put in the “wrong” way round to prevent the oil coming from the Gearbox. The KR200 / Sachs engine has a doble lip seal to prevent leakage of gear oil into the crankcase. It was not possible to replace the modified seal pack as replacement seals were not available, therefore, an original seal was fitted.
6. Lower ratio third gear; the previously high third was commented on in many of the road tests featured in “Gold Portfolio”. The later Tgs had this modified ratio to improve driveability.
7. Tgs were fitted with a very large flywheel and this one had been reduced to a fraction of its former size to improve gearchanges. The latest modification is to replace the flywheel with a spacer. this does not have any adverse effect on th elow speed operation of the engine as the crankshaft has such a great metal mass, it acts as a flywheel without further assistance.

A VDO electronic rev counter was fitted in the sixtes, though it was not properly calibrated. This has gone to a VDO specialist in Germany for rebuilding with a modern elctronic mechanism. Timing and ignition for each cylinder function as two independent units, each having contact breakers and ignition coil. Recent research suggest that the Crankshaft deflects under heavy load, causing the timing to alter. One solution is to replace the contact breakers with contactless electronic ignition and a Trabant unit has been purchased for this purpose. Later two stroke engined Trabants were fitted with this system and it does not retain the mechanical / centrifugal advance and retard since the timing cam is removed. There was a suggestion that the removal of the advance / retard system would adversely affect performance. However, Heiko Zimmermann had met the engineer responsible for the development of this system for the Trabant, and he had stated that they could not measure a difference during testing. Everything is provided with the Trabant unit to convert to electronc control and this is especially easy as the Tg. and Trabant engine layout are similar.

Richard Harker has owned a KR201 bought from me in 1973, (I bought an engagement ring with the money!) Richards KR201 had recently been through a total strip restoration. He has many years of experience working on Messerschmitt bodies, and his job in a Car Bodyshop makes him an ideal choice to restore the body with the attention to detail that is required to keep it original.

During January 1997, while Richard was working on the Tg. a visiting Truck driver came into the Bodyshop, on seeing the Tg, he exclaimed “I used to own one of these”. Richard, like most of us, has heard this line many times before. Richard replied immediately: “I dont think it would have been one of these”. The visitor took a look at the dismantled rear suspension frame and said: “ah, yes this a four wheeler, my friend Roger Garnett had one of these. It used to be very fast.” He went on to explain that Roger now lived in Spain. Richard, of course, did not know of this and it was only when he later told the story to me that I was able to confirm that Roger had previously owned 500 BOR! He is still trying to find the man again, as he is still in touch with Roger in Spain.

Unfortunately I no longer own a ’schmitt but I made fantastic tours with these vehicles in the ’60s. It started with a used KR200 in 1959 bought for DM 1075 (at that time UK pounds 98!) The threewheeler got me on tours into France and Scandinavia being most reliable and hardly any tools needed on tour. Than I traded her in for a Tiger in February 1962 with the chassis ID Nr. 20517. The price DM 1800 or UK pounds 170!

My first tour was planned for France. Gearbox trouble got me to buy a stripped exchange engine. We started nearly broke to the Biscaya driving across the Massif Central which was a hell of fun. Winter 62/63 was a real rough one with the Rhine being frozen for 6 weeks. I faked a breakdown of the Tiger to my employer and the office gave me a Beetle with a slightly better heater to get to work in. Krons book very correctly shows the hassles of driving a Tiger. The guy in the spare parts shop of the Frankfurt Messerschmitt depot had the saying “If you drive a Tiger there is hardly anything left for living” Though it never spoiled the fun.

Summer 1963 my friend Wolfgang and I did another Scandinavian tour, this time with the Tiger, taking us through Norway, Sweden and Finland. You have to imagine that in those days most Scandinavian roads north of Oslo or Stockholm were gravel. On these roads driving a Tiger was hilarious fun. In five weeks we covered 6000 km, lost 5 wrenches when bleeding the brakes every 300 km or fixing the ignition or the silencers. The rear wheels touched the wings when jumping through the air on some of the Finnish country roads, burning the paintwork.

After returning from Scandinavia I took the Tiger to Britain, actually to Swansea, Wales. I had a job there for one year in a merchandise company called T.T. Pascoe selling car parts to the former Colonies. It didn’t take long until me and my Tiger was well known in Swansea and the surrounding country. They called it “The Bomb” and the police always had an eye on me because of my speeding down the Mumbles road. They never were able to catch me but came to my digs to warn me. People living in Mumbles on the hill also complained about the noise I made when coming up in second after closing time – another police visit was scheduled. I had a hell of a time there and only recently a former Welsh girl friend visited me here, talking about old Tiger times.

Even though the Tiger had a break down on an average of every 1000 km, I never was towed. I always got to my final destination. During my stay in Wales I went back to Germany twice. On my last trip to Wales the engine broke down two days after arrival. The crank bearing on the clutch side went. They sent me a replacement from Regensburg but without the seal ring. I went around Swansea and eventually got a leather one which worked fine for as long as I had the Tiger. Also the bearing for the clutch release went. Replacement was not in sight, so I drove around without a clutch for nearly 6 weeks!

The sad thing – after driving him for 50.000 km I sold the Tiger to a friend whose girl friend did not like it. Without me knowing it, the Tiger was left in the street to be picked up by scrap merchants and ended its life. Why oh why didn’t he tell me, I would have stored it away!

Today I drive a ’74 beetle and a ’61 Karmann Ghia convertable. I wouldn’t mind going on vacation with a Tiger or KR 200 again but unfortunately this is not the idea of my lady. Two years ago I drove Oliver Vogel’s KR 200 and also did some body work on one of his friends Karo so I keep in touch.