Finding themselves prohibited from making planes, German aircraft company Messerschmitt turned its attention towards tiny bubble cars. Called Kabinenroller (literally, a "scooter with a cabin"), they were a hit with the mostly broke German motoring public. The second model, the KR200, was released with some minor upgrades and a convertible top (seen here). Once Germans could afford good cars again, the KR200 fell out of popularity.

Because of the quirky design and aircraft controls the Messerschmitts are once again popular as collector's items. (H/T to Mike for the photos!)

All of these mini cars were on display at the Art Center Car Classic at the Art Center College in Pasadena. Thanks to Mike Levine at PickupTrucks.com for snapping these photos and information for us. Click next to see the first classic mini car.

Goggomobil Dart
Year Built: 1959
Country Of Origin: Australia
History: Based on a German mini car but with Australian design, the Dart was a minor success. The one pictured here is one of the with a driver's-side door.

BMW Isetta
Year Built: 1956
Country Of Origin: Germany
History: The BMW Isetta was the company's first successful post war vehicle. Based on the Iso Isetta, the BMW version used all new parts, including a 300 cc motorcycle engine. This cabriolet is only one of 32 ever produced out of a total of 42,000 vehicles.

Crosley Convertible
Year Built: 1939
Country Of Origin: U.S.A.
History: The Crosley Convertible could be had at department stores for just around $325, which now won't even get you a Dyson vacuum cleaner at a Sears.

Crosley Super-Deluxe Speed
Year Built: 1947
Country Of Origin: U.S.A.
History: You can see just how far the Crosley company went, or didn't go, in terms of design after the war. Compared to the previous mini car, the Crosley added a peppier SOHC engine and features such as disc brakes. The overall small-on-size look remained.

Mazda R360 Coupe
Year Built: 1964
Country Of Origin: Japan
History: Before the Kei Car the Japanese still built small cars, like this Mazda, but they just didn't use the term (nor did they adorn them with Hello Kitty stickers). This small rear-engined, RWD vehicle was a hit when it debuted in Japan.

Rotar
Year Built: 1962
Country Of Origin: U.S.A.
History: As opposed to merely a bubble car, the Rotar was designed by Ed Roth to ride on a cushion of air created by two Triumph motorcycle engines. Impractical? Yes. Awesome? Do you have to ask?

VW Type 166 Schwimmwagen
Year Built: 1944
Country Of Origin: Germany
History: The Schwimmwagen is essentially a little VW beetle designed to be amphibious. Utilized in WW2, the 4WD wagen uses an air-cooled boxer engine and screw-type propeller to move across all obstacles. With over 15,000 made, it's the most mass-produced amphibious car ever.

We don't want to make light of this cause it's a product that fills a niche, and it could be misconstrued to be tangentially making fun of handicapped people, which would make us ogres. But the idea of 2 A.M. wheelchair racing down the frozen food aisles at WalMart just got a lot more exciting. Turn it into a racing biathlon with the first part featuring a human powered race to your powered chariots, then NASCAR style laps around the perimeter of the building attempting to avoid the weak security guards. Yes, this is a good idea. [via Remikz]

We're not modern European traffic law standards scholars, but we're assuming there is a 50 cc quadracycle kind of niche carved out below regular cars as kei cars work in Japan. This particular one has a 50 cc license plate which we assume means a 49 cc scooter motor and you can see the CVT poking out the bottom. I suppose if you don't want to put up with the wind and maybe have an inner ear infection causing vertigo and mild insanity, this makes sense.

We took a look at the three minicars Chevrolet unwrapped at the New York show: The Beat, Groove and Trax. All three are smaller than a jar of cornishons, but each one follows a distinctive style path. The Beat is a sporty hatch, not far from Chevy's WTCC concept; the Trax sports "active lifestyle" pretensions; and the Groove is the European urbo-hipster finished in a trendy matte coat and wearing the new face of Chevy. Chevrolet is taking its own poll on which of the three US car buyers like the most, at www.vote4chevrolet.com. But since our own polling indicates Jalopniks are not so into corporate polling, we're doing a poll of our own. Which one would you buy if you were considering a minicar. Comment in the comments, natch. – Mike Spinelli

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Related:
New York Auto Show: Chevy Leverages The Sexual Appeal Of Faux Hipsters, Reveals Trio Of Minicars; GM Releases Info on Minicar Concepts for Real [internal]

I don't know anything about this little cutey except that it sounded diesel. I do know that the super narrow yet well kempt streets of Barcelona demand mini-garbage trucks. Which to our way of thinking, makes these the very coolest garbage trucks of all. Plus, like, somebody (no doubt an Italian) actually took the time to sculpt the fenders! Why? For flavor. And the wheels appear to be forged from scrap-iron and coated with a ceramic glaze. Anyhow, knock off the trash bin and that's one suave looking mini-van camino. Oh, and if you are in Barcelona, eat at Cal Pep — thank me later. More cute after the jump. – Jonny Lieberman

Related:
Government to Test Hydraulic Hybrid in Garbage Truck [Internal]

If the The Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum in Madison, Georgia doesn't house the most extensive collection of microcars from around the world, we'll sell our regular-sized car and drive around town in a 1958 Brutsch Rollera; or a 1955 Grataloup; or a 1957 Vespa 400; or a 1990 Honda Caren. The list goes on and on.

The Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum

Related:
Merlin Roadster for Sale on eBay [internal]

First, Fiat Group's fortunes were turned around by the liquidity brought by GM's $1.5 billion contract buyout. Now it's hoping for a big seller to pull the Fiat brand back from the brink. The Giugiaro-designed Punto Grande, which will go on sale in Italy this fall and in the UK early in 2006, is a "supermini," a jumbo-shrimp grade incongruity that's practically unknown in the US market — but could be a serious value player for Europeans who are both cost- and style-conscious. In fact it's a larger version of the Punto II mini, from which it gets its first name. But if it's a relative by birth, it gets its looks from the other side of the family.

Compared to lesser Puntos, the Grande is far more attractively uo-to-date, considering designers appear to have cribbed much-needed frontal attitude from Fiat Group's Pininfarina-deigned Maserati. Still, mini is the name of the game, especially under the hood, with gas-powered 1.2- and 1.4-liter engines churning 65hp and 77hp, respectively. A rumored sporting version, with a 1.6-liter, 180hp engine, while tempting, is just a rumor. Two diesel engines, a 1.3-liter Multijet for economy (90bhp) and a 1.9-liter version getting a more substantial 130bhp, plus six-speed gearbox.

Related:
Regards from Fiat: GM's $2 Billion Diesel; Jalopnik Reviews: 2005 Maserati Quattroporte, Part 1; Fiat May Roll Out New, Nostalgic Cinquecento [internal]

Japan is getting a tricked-out version of the Subaru keicar, the R1. By tricked out, we mean The R1i, as it'll be known, will actually be less trick than the base model. Yes, kids, it's another "value package," which substitutes a single overhead cam (SOHC) version for the R1's DOHC 0.66 liter motor. That would be like, say, using a rubber band from mom's 10,000-count "bag o' multicolored rubberbands" to power your balsa- plane, rather than the holding dad's shoebox of "old postcards" closed. Ok, not exactly — actually SOHCs are lighter and often get better torque at low engine speeds. Anyway, it comes with a set of 14" alloys. What? You got a problem with alloys?

Mean Bug [Auto Wonder]

Related:
Subaru Launches R1 Minicar in Japan; No Cube for You: Mazda s Carol G Special [internal]