What I saw today

[JPSmit]

I must confess I am one of those guys who gets whiplash from peering down alleys and into garages looking for treasures. A few block from the house is a compound with a number of old VW beetles and a westphalia visible from the road. pulled in today and confirmed there is a beetle nut in the area. But, there were a few rows of cars so I drove to the motel next door and peered over the fence. There in the middle of the row was an NSU RO 80. I have never seen one except in pictures before. Certainly was in restorable shape, no visible dents and only a front headlight unit missing. While I have no particular desire to own one (OK I do but only with unlimited funds) I've always wondered whether an RX7 swap would keep the rotary spirit but make the car reliable.

anyway, it was a cool score

 

[aeronca65t]

In the 60s, we had a local NSU dealer (in New Egypt, NJ) that was also a local gas station. I guess it was simpler to be a "dealer" back then.

Anyway, he went bust and there were about 10 little NSUs including several rotary-powered Sport Prinz models at his place, when he went bankrupt. They languished there for years. Too bad.

The Ro80 is a classy looking car. Reminds me of 70s Audis.

 

[CraigFL]

I remember the Ro80... It sounded like a corn popper when it idled!

 

[William]

There is a long standing story of a VW/Audi executive who insisted on driving an Ro80 as his company car, for years after the model was discontinued. Rumor has it that there was a very special, high performance, skunk works version of the rotary engine in it.

IIRC, the Ro80 has road manners that were, until comparatively recently, still comparable to modern cars. Quite a vehicle.

-William

 

[tony barnhill]

Only NSU I ever saw was a little convertible with a rotary in the rear.

 

[AngliaGT]

I saw an RO80 on the road once,but can't remember where.

- Doug

 

[tony barnhill]

Did they import the RO80 to the US?

 

[aeronca65t]

Yes, but not in big numbers.

The little rear-engine NSUs were also imported, but again, not too many.

In the 50s, they were a big seller of motor scooters (my best friend had one). This was before the Honda "step-through", but they looked similar to the Honda.

Here's the RO 80 (front drive, rotary engine)

Here's the NSU Prinz (rear, piston engine)

And here is the Sport Prinz Coupe'(rear, rotary engine). A similar convertible was also built.

 

[tony barnhill]

Not a bad looking car - I remember the little Prinz....& that Sport Prinz Coupe is neat...would like to see the convertible version....

 

[texas_bugeye]

The NSU Prinz looks a lot like a Renault Dauphine. OUI?

 

[tony barnhill]

There is some resemblance.

 

[DrEntropy]

Knew a guy who at th' time I considered an "old guy" in the dealership I worked in. He had TWO Prinz NSU's... I was a Lotus owner and kinda ate up wifit. Never got just WHY a rear engin'd [censored] was a thing of interest.


Still don't. :shocked:

Now a D.A.F. onna third hand, welll... :laugh:

 

[Banjo]

Reading a book I have on the history of Felix Wankel and his engine, they discuss the NSUs and how often they had to have the engines replaced. Still, I thought they were a neat little car. The vintage shop I worked at had an early 70s Mazda R100. that was a neat car as well. It's too bad the early rotories were so prone to failure. what a neat piece of automotive history.

 

[JPSmit]

It is neat but the engines broke the company - sad really

 

[tony barnhill]

Didn't they do the first rotary?

 

[JPSmit]

yup - and they wore out very quickly

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSU_Ro_80

 

[AngliaGT]

Ben,

I owned a '72 R100.Put RX7 factory mags on it.
Had $2500 into it,sold it for $1000.I thought I did
well.
Until I see what they're going for!

- Doug

 

[tony barnhill]

I also owned 1 rotary in an RX convertible.....kept it about a year but could never get used to it.

 

[Banjo]

Yup.. the book laid it out how having to replace all those rotory motors ran NSU into the ground. It Took the financial might, and engineering diligance of Mazda to even get it to the still short-lived reliability of thier early rotory cars, and then on to the rotory of today. and even then Wankel was being a git about letting anybody develop his idea.

 

[davelgee]

This is one of my NSUs,(maybe-not sure if the image is really attached) it is a '58 SuperMax 250ccm, one of the first OHC engines to see wide production, with a unique drive on the cam. Two rods ran in eccentrics from the crank (1/2 speed) to the OHC. They are VERY quiet when running, at idle there is almost no noise except the exhaust/intake notes! I am currently restoring an NSU Maxi (175 ccm) but parts are a problem for the smaller bikes! I never got to enthused about the rotary cars, I always thought the NSU TT and TTS piston cars were better.
The original 'rotary' was designed as a supercharger for NSU racing bikes. When later developed into an engine the prototypes held the "shaft" with trochoid (sp?) still and took the drive from the outside housing which spun!

Cheers!
Dave G.