Audi Tradition, the historic division of Audi AG, is putting the classic NSU brand in the spotlight at Techno Classica in Essen this year. Under the motto 'NSU - A new way to drive', Audi Tradition will show five special NSU models from Wednesday 5 April to Sunday 9 April.
The southern German brand NSU - the largest motorcycle manufacturer in 1955 in the world - grew to become a very progressive car manufacturer after the Second World War. For example, at the Frankfurt Motor Show of 1957, NSU unveiled the NSU Prinz, the brand's first four-wheeler. The compact four-seater had an air-cooled two-cylinder engine with a capacity of 583 cc and a capacity of 20 hp.
The Prinz is growing up
In 1964 and 1965, NSU introduced two new variants of the Prinz: the NSU 1000 and NSU TT. Both were successful in motor sport, particularly in the hill climbing races that were very popular at the time. In 1967, NSU presented an even more powerful TT at the Hockenheimring, the NSU TTS. His 996 cc large, rear-mounted engine delivered 70 hp, with which the 700 kg heavy car could reach a top speed of 165 km / h. With the 'Speed Kit' specially developed for racing (which could be ordered from the factory), the power of the TTS even went to 85 hp.
New standards: Ro80
This year, Audi Tradition presents an NSU Prinz 30 (1962), NSU Sport Prinz (1964), NSU 1000 TTS (1970) and two Ro 80 (1969 and 1977) NSUs at Techno Classica. The NSU Ro 80 was shown to the public in 1967, after a development time of five years, at the Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung (IAA) in Frankfurt. In the same year, he was the first German car ever to be elected European Car of the Year. According to the jury, the Ro 80 set new standards with regard to safety, comfort and performance.
Milestone in the field of car design
In addition, the futuristic, wedge-shaped body of the NSU was seen as a milestone in the field of car design. The NSU Ro 80 - equipped with a two-disc Wankel engine - was produced between 1967 and 1977 in Neckarsulm. 37.406 copies rolled off the band for ten years. The Ro 80 was the largest and most innovative model that NSU has built. The Ro 80 was also the last model of NSU. In 1969, NSU was merged by Volkswagen AG with Auto Union GmbH. The resulting company, Audi NSU Auto Union AG, was renamed Audi AG in 1985.
Audi Tradition in Hall 7
Audi Tradition has an 350 square meter stand in Hall 7 during Techno Classica. Interesting for lovers of miniature cars is the limited series of 333 orange NSUs Ro 80 (scale 1: 43). More classic NSUs can be found in Hall 7.1, where the members of the Audi Club International (ACI) are present. Techno Classica lasts five days and the organization expects around 200.000 visitors this year.
