Ivan Vicario Martin
Like so many brands that have disappeared today, NSU has fallen into quiet oblivion of which in Audi They are trying to rescue it in this 2023 in which the brand would be 150 years old. Perhaps its most special and advanced model is the protagonist of this article, the NSU Ro 80, which was also the first German car chosen Car of the year in Europe.
The NSU Motorenwerke AG. was born in 1873 in Riedlingen (Germany) as a machinery manufacturer, moving in 1880 to Neckarsulm. Hence, the N of its name, which is said to mean Neckarsulm Strickmaschinen Union or, more probably, Neckar Sulm Union. Although it produced some automobiles before World War II, it was not until after World War II that it became a full-time car manufacturer. In 1960, its name became NSU Motorenwerke AG, although it continued to produce bikes and motorcycles for a few years.
A key moment in its history was the association, in 1951, with Felix Wankel, creator of the rotary engine. This engineer born in Lahr, in the German Black Forest, devoted his life to the planetary rotary propeller, with which he intended to do away with the drawbacks of traditional alternative mechanics. Unfortunately, among all the brands that tried it, with NSU as the pioneer, only Mazda persevered through the years.
NSU AND ROTARY ENGINES
Felix Wankel's theories and designs were taking shape when On February 1, 1957, the first single-rotor engine was tested.. It barely worked for a few minutes, but 26,6 CV at 17.000 rpm were achieved from a 125 cm mechanical3. In 1962, that is, only six years later, a rotary motor already appears in a portable fire pump.
El NSU Spider became, in 1963, the first car in the world to equip a rotary engine. It was presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show, with a mechanics of a 500 cm rotor3 that delivered 50 CV at 6.000 laps. It went on sale a year later, selling a total of 2.375 units until 1967. The rotary engine did not fully demonstrate in practice the advantages it offered in theory, with very high consumption and, above all, a lot of oil and wear on the segments. Sealing problems were also recurring.
Not only NSU tested such mechanics, they also did Mazda, which is the only brand that has persevered in them, from the Cosmo or 110S to the RX8; Mercedes-Benz, with the C111; Citroën, with the Ami 8 M35 and the GS twin-rotor, Alfa Romeo, with evidence in spider and 1750; Chevrolet, which even presented a prototype, even Rolls-Royce, with a diesel engine with four rotors. Many other firms bought the rights, although not all of them came to materialize specific projects.
ARRIVAL OF THE FUTURE: NSU RO 80
After this brief review, we come to the protagonist of this article, the NSU Ro 80. You don't have to be a genius to deduce that the “Ro” in the name evokes the rotary mechanics that it equips. It was presented in the Frankfurt Motor Show of 1967 and immediately became one of the attractions of the show. It was a saloon of almost 4,8 meters and very aerodynamic shapes whose development had lasted five years.
The body of the Ro 80 thorough work was done in the wind tunnel, seeking to maximize its coefficient of aerodynamic penetration. Finally, an excellent Cx of 0,35, with shapes that made it different from any other model on the market. In fact, the brand itself promoted it with the slogan “There are cars from yesterday and cars from today, and then there are the NSU cars”. He also used “At the forefront of technology”, a motto he continues to use today. Audi, brand with which NSU merged in 1969.
With everything, the main novelty of the NSU Ro 80 was hidden under its hood. It was a Wankel birotor engine that, according to the brand, had advantages such as lower weight, smaller size, reduced vibrations and a significantly lower number of components than a conventional propeller. The engine cubicled 995 cm3 -497,5 cm3 each rotor- and yielded 115 hp at 6.500 rpm. It would be the equivalent of a 2-liter displacement mechanic. It should be remembered that Wankel mechanics obtain more power with much less displacement and can reach higher turning speeds.
The NSU saloon incorporated refinements such as the front disc brakes or a change with piloted clutch electronically with a sensor on the ball of the lever, which made the use of a clutch pedal unnecessary. It had independent suspension on both axles -the front McPherson strut- and front-wheel drive, something unusual in its segment at the time. In addition, its habitability was extraordinary and its benefits more than remarkable, since achieved top speeds above 180 km/h. Elements such as leather upholstery or headrests were paid for separately.
COMMERCIAL FAILURE
Although it was named European Car of the Year in 1968, the NSU Ro 80 never managed to meet sales expectations. The last car, which rolled off the production line in April 1977, had unit number 37.374. Almost fifty copies were imported into Spain at the time, of which we know of some that are still preserved.
The oil crisis of 1973 and the consequent rise in gasoline prices did not help a car that spent above average. Neither did some cold start problems or excessive oil consumption, which only scared off buyers. These problems were alleviated over the years, but the sales of the car never finished picking up.
In fact, the car did not receive major updates, focusing the changes on improving reliability. For example, until 1969, it was equipped with two spark plugs per rotor and then it was changed to a system with a single spark plug. In 1972, the carb model was replaced, going from a Solex 19/32 HHD to a 32 DDITS.
THE LEGACY OF THE NSU RO 80
By the time the NSU Ro 80 left the Neckarsulm production line, the Audi 100 most of the factory's capacity was already taken. It was even considered to assemble a version of the 100 with a rotary engine, a possibility that was discarded in 1977 after exhaustive tests.
The discontinuation of the Ro 80 also meant the abrupt end of rotary engines in Europe, but not in the world. Mazda continued to build different models with the Wankel drive. up to the year 2012, it has even been used again in an electric motor this year. Along the way, he even won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1991 with the 787B, But that is another story.
Photographs by Audi AG.
