Germany has many world-class automobile brands, so much so that it is known as the country of automobiles. Brands such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, and Porsche dominate the imported vehicle market, and they were all born in Germany and have grown globally.
German brands have made some of the best vehicles in terms of name and reality, but they have also created some extraordinary vehicles in the past. An aerospace engineer created a spaceship-like vehicle with a transparent canopy, and BMW created an SUV without a roof.
German filmmaker Michael Hoffman created a vehicle out of scrapyard parts
Michael Hoffman, a German director who won the Popularity Award at the 7th Vancouver International Film Festival in 1988, had the idea to create his vehicle with his brilliant imagination and began making vehicles. Hoffman’s vehicle featured rear-wheel steering and was made mostly of junkyard parts.
Hoffman’s vehicle was characterized by a motor housed in a large rectangular frame. A complex lever system was also used to control the motors, and the interior was very cramped. Hoffman’s oddly designed vehicles failed to gain popularity with the public, and he eventually retired from vehicle design. It is said that only one has been built so far, and it has been on display at the Lane Automobile Museum in Nashville, Tennessee.
The Canopy Microcar KR200 was designed for the disabled
The KR200, designed by aeronautical engineer Fritz Fend, always appears in the list of unusual German concept cars. Fend was already well known for designing a canopy microcar similar to the KR200. In 1948, he designed a vehicle that could be easily driven by people who had become disabled due to World War II.
The canopy microcar first designed by Fend was called the Fend Flitzer, and it is said that many people who wanted a cheap car, even if they were not disabled, purchased the Fend Flitzer. After that, Fend manufactured vehicles such as the Fend 150 and KR175, and when the KR175 was redesigned to accommodate new mechanical devices, the KR200 was born. A convertible appearance was introduced for the KR200 in 1957, and production was ended in 1964.
BMW’s first SUV, the Z18, distinguished by its roofless design
Many people know BMW’s first SUV as the X5, but in fact, the Z18 is BMW’s first SUV. The Z18 was designed by Renegade’s R&D department in the 1980s and was produced simultaneously with the launch of the first-generation Z3. Z18 has featured a roofless design, and instead of having a roof, it has featured a waterproof sheet and a thick rubber floor mat on the floor.
The modular interior meant the Z18 could be transformed into a pickup truck or a four-seat vehicle. Although BMW had no intention of mass-producing the Z18, it reportedly helped the company gauge potential demand for the venture.
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