Kleinschnittger F-125

The German Kleinschnittger F-125 has no reverse gear and also no starter motor.

The car, which weighs only 170 kilograms, has to be lifted at the rear and turned around to put it in the opposite driving direction. It is started with a rope, like the kickstarter on a lawn mower. Even so, this aluminum two seater with its 123 cc single cylinder ILO engine producing 6 hp is a success in postwar Europe, which is plagued by shortages of money and materials. The car is exported to 22 countries, including the Netherlands, Belgium and even the US. Paul Kleinschnittger starts building cars in 1950 in Arnsberg in the Sauerland region, on a site that is still full of bomb craters. In his first year he already builds 100 cars with 50 employees. Until 1957 the company produces 3,000 F 125s, but a second model never gets off the ground and Kleinschnittger loses the battle with the competition.