You should not judge a book by its cover, they say. That definitely applies to this wonky, cute, and slightly confused-looking microcar from the golden age of microcars.
Here is a very rare and excellent condition example of a 1958 TG 500, also known as the Tiger. It’s listed with RM Sotheby’s and will go under the hammer this week, on May 22, at the Amelia Island, Florida event. It is a true collector’s piece, both due to its condition and historical importance.
After WWII, German aircraft maker Messerschmitt was banned from making aircraft, due to its previous contracts with the Nazi regime. So it turned its attention to the automotive industry—microcars, in particular, since they were all the rage back then. The first microcar, the Messerschmitt KR 175, was shown at the Geneva Motor Show in 1953, but the KR 200 was arguably its most popular model.
The TG 500 is based on the KR 200 (which, by the way, is making a comeback), and it was produced after the German government acquired Messerschmitt. It came with four wheels instead of three, larger brakes, better suspension, larger headlamps, and a bigger engine (a 494 cc two-cylinder, two-stroke engine that delivered 20.5 hp). It was produced under the name Fahrzeug und Maschinebau GmbH Regensburg, or F.M.R. for short. As such, its official name was F.M.R. TG 500 “Tiger.”
Only 320 Tigers were ever made, with the listing noting that some 150 survive to this day. This example is represented in excellent condition and is still in working order. It means that, once you get under the glass bubble roof into that still-gorgeous blue seat, you will be able to take this retro beauty for a drive and have a blast at 78 mph (125 kph). Or wow bystanders with a 0 to 60 (96.5 kph) time of 28 full seconds.
Still, at the time, the Tiger was the cream of the crop. The listing describes it as a “high-performance microcar” and a must-have for any microcar collector, as long as he or she has an estimated $125,000-$165,000 to spare. For the record, the most expensive microcar ever sold at auction is another Tiger, which fetched $322,000 in 2013.