The Kleinstwagen was a microcar prototype built by Styling Garage, a Hamburg-based firm better known under the abbreviation SGS for its gull-winged Mercedes-Benz conversion Arrow and other super-luxury versions of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and similar top-class cars. The prototype appeared as a surprise exhibit on the Styling Garage stand at the 1983 IAA show, standing out among the firm's luxury conversions.
The car was designed as a single-seat shopping vehicle, weatherproof and fitted with just one side door, giving it an unusual, somewhat playful shape. Its rear structure combined a car body with the frame and running gear of a Honda motor scooter, making it effectively a three-wheeler. Power came from an air-cooled, single-cylinder, two-stroke engine of 80 cc displacement producing 6 hp, enough to give the small vehicle a top speed of 60 km/h. Drive was transmitted via a continuously variable belt system that adjusted automatically, while reverse gear was operated electrically.
Styling Garage, led by Chris Hahn, had built its reputation supplying luxury conversions to customers in the Middle East. When that clientele declined, the company was forced to close, and Hahn subsequently founded Design + Technik GmbH, a firm oriented toward development and construction work for industrial clients. The Kleinstwagen prototype did not proceed beyond this show appearance.
