Fritz Fend – Father of the Messerschmitt Kabinenroller

Ing. Fritz M. Fend 12.04.1920 – 22.11.2000 – an appreciation

At the Regensburg Rally in June 2007, we celebrated the life of Fritz M. Fend, inventor and designer of Messerschmitt cars, with a visit to his grave at Dreifaltigkeitsberg Friedhof in Regensburg. Wreaths were laid by Messerschmitt Club Deutschland in memory of Fritz Fend who died on 22nd November 2000 at Regensburg. At his funeral in November 2000, MOC was represented by Ken Piper and Mick Morton. We are grateful to them for making the long journey to Regensburg to represent us at the funeral that was attended by some hundreds of mourners. Oliver Vogel, then president of Messerschmitt Club Deutschland, kindly helped with arranging for a wreath to be sent on behalf of the Messerschmitt Owners’ Club.

In considering Fend’s life and achievements we have to take into account his wartime work at the Rechlin Test Centre in located East Germany. Without doubt this made his mark in German engineering, and at an astonishingly early age. It was his reputation there for finding simple solutions to technical problems, particularly in relation to the then new tricycle retractable undercarriage, (Fahrwerk, in German), that brought Fritz Fend to the attention of Professor Messerschmitt, although he was never employed by Messerschmitt then or later.

It is important to remember that Fend was primarily an aeronautical engineer who came to design transport almost by accident (and necessity) following the war. After the Potsdam Agreement, aeronautics was closed to him unless he was prepared to emigrate which at that time, meant the US, the Soviet Union, or Britain. A return to aviation in the post-war world would however have meant becoming one of a design team, a prospect which did not attract Fritz Fend who preferred involvement in every detail. Although he was definitely not a motor industry person, Fritz Fend achieved recognition as a brilliantly successful designer of light vehicles in the years following the Second World War.

Vehicles were a thread that ran throughout Fritz Fend’s life, though at heart he remained an aeronautical engineer. An innovative designer and development engineer who always looked to the future, he was in constant demand as a consultant with even governments among his clients seeking help on questions of engineering and industrial design.

There is no evidence that he considered emigrating though he often said he had no interest in ‘becoming part of a design team’. Throughout his career he remained independent, always acting as a consultant, often reaching licensing agreements with his many clients which included Fichtel and Sachs. His designs for RSM (Messerschmitt) were on a licensing basis. He was, of course, a director of FMR when he formed that company with Knott, but could come and go as he pleased though it was a full-time occupation as all development work was done by Fend personally.

Except for the Fend 2000 concept car, Fend’s vehicle designs are all contemporaries of the Cabin Scooter period. The Lastenroller was the first Fend vehicle to be built at the Regensburg Messerschmitt plant, in 1952. The KR 175, KR 200, Mokuli and Tg 500 all followed as did the military vehicle design for the German government, or Bundeswehr. Although his vehicle designs were always innovative, Fend’s masterpiece is probably the KR 200 where his revolutionary suspension systems created a light car that handled very well compared to contemporary designs.

In the German tradition Fritz Fend produced integrated designs, his sole discernible influence being that of Professor Willy Messerschmitt evidenced by aerodynamic shape, minimal frontal area and especially lightness of construction. He also acknowledged the brilliance of Ing. Norbert Riedel, another wartime colleague with a similar approach to the solution of technical problems.

In late 1963 Fend left FMR and his post ‘bubble-car’ career involving transport projects that would have been part of his consultancy work for the Development Institute he founded on leaving FMR. This continued pretty well up to his death in November 2000. There is some evidence that his private venture with the Fend 2000 got him into financial difficulties as he attempted to attract support to put this unusual concept vehicle into production. Unfortunately it remained only a concept but it did in a remarkable way illustrate Fritz Fend’s design philosophy of light construction, tandem seating and minimal frontal area which stemmed from his wartime work on the Me 262 at Rechlin.

Bill Street, the proprietor of Testwood Motors in Southampton always admired the work of Ing. Fritz Fend. Testwood Motors played a significant role in early competitive events using KR175’s KR200’s and finally, with outstanding success, the Tg500. A great fan and the star of that particular show was, Ken Piper. There were a few other keen competition Tg 500 drivers but Ken’s spectacular feats with the Tiger were definitely in a class of their own.

Our Club had known Fritz Fend since 1958 when, in a typical gesture, he had driven north to give us a special preview of the Tiger. To us in still-recovering Britain his visit at that time was like a breath of fresh air. The event was such a success that we were all invited to Regensburg the following year when this favourable impression was reinforced by our meetings with the Clubs laying the foundations for all we have today. For the first time we learned that in Germany we had real friends.

An outgoing, friendly person, in common with the great majority of his native Bavarians, Fritz Fend’s influence was pervasive and beneficial. He had time for, and was hospitable towards the humblest schmitter, particularly the disabled, and used to say ‘if a driver still has a head, we can adapt a car for them’.

Fritz Fend was genuinely liked and admired by those he employed – always a sure guide to character – and this was most evident at Fahrzeug und Maschinenbau Regensburg GmbH, the company he founded with Ing. Valentin Knott to continue Messerschmitt vehicle production. The epitaph to Fritz Fend will be the KR 175, KR 200 and Tg 500, parts of a group of micro cars which gave rise to the Mini and modern Supermini. In his homeland the gifted engineer will additionally always be respected for his contribution to the dramatic post-war recovery in what was then the Federal Republic of Germany, by helping to motorise the population and, particularly in Regensburg, for bringing quality employment at a time when it was most needed. He is the person who brought us all together and enriched our lives with the many good friendships formed between Messerschmitt owners.

David Garner
14.01.2014