A German collector has opened a museum to exhibit his treasured vintage microcars. For a while, they were a popular and affordable alternative to motorbikes during Germany's postwar economic miracle. Though long-forgotten, the little wonders of innovation and engineering may soon be reborn.

There's a key advantage to setting up a museum for microcars -- "they take up much less space than big cars," says Stefan Voit, standing in a hall lined with tiny vintage vehicles neatly arranged on shelves and waiting to be restored or polished before being exhibited next door in his museum, located in St. Ingbert, Saarland.

Voit has always appreciated modesty. Here's how the engineer, 68, spent his first vacation: "We went to the Black Forest with camping gear and supplies for more than a week. In an NSU Prinz."

So it's no surprise that his heart beats for microcars like that West German model rather than luxury limousines. Voit has collected a fleet of more than 50 of them over the last two decades. It all began when he bought a Messerschmitt Cabin Scooter. After that, he couldn't stop.

"I read more and more about the subject and kept meeting more people and suddenly there were opportunities all over the place," recalls Voit.