A MOTORHEAD has spent £23,000 on a rare car made out of Second World War plane materials.

Tony Boyle bought a Messerschmitt KR200 about 18 months ago.

The three-wheeled bubble cars were made from old war aircraft materials, after the manufacturer was banned from making war planes after the Second World War.

They were designed by the aircraft engineer Fritz Fend and produced by German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt from 1955 to 1964.

Tony, who lives in Prettygate, Colchester, spent £17,000 on the car and handed it to Richardson’s Vehicle Repair Centre in Colchester.

The work has taken a year to complete and have cost £6,000, but he said it was worth it.

He said: “I have always wanted to get one, there was one in Poland which I was going to buy but then another came up in Clacton.

“It was a bit battered, but I think it’s amazing as they were worthless when they were first made. There were about 30,000 of them but now there are only 50 in the country.”

To get inside the car, the top half lifts up like a plane cockpit.

Tony will be driving his impressive car, which can hit speeds of 56 mph, to vehicle shows.

He said: “I have had it repainted in bright orange and it has all been re-chromed.

“I’ve also had leather seats put in and added some bling so it sparkles in the sun.

“There will not be another one like mine.”

Craig Lilley, a body repairer at the garage, said it was an interesting and unique project.

He said: “The car was red originally and had quite a lot of rust.

“We stripped it down and repaired the rust, and repainted it. The shapes on these cars are entirely different to modern cars so it was nice to do some old fashioned work.”

In 1956, Messerschmitt was allowed to make aircraft again and lost interest in the cars. Sales dropped which is why they are now so rare.