Glance at this revolutionary car today, and it’s hard to believe that it’s more than 50 years old. Launched in 1967, the NSU Ro80 didn’t merely look like a car of the future but, thanks to its peculiar rotary engine, it sounded like a spaceship, too.
NSU had a small-scale but relatively long history of vehicle production in Neckarsulm, Germany, that dated back to 1901. During the 1950s, after the introduction of the four-cylinder Prinz, the company started to experiment with rotary engines. NSU owned the rights to the design, and formed a partnership with Citroën and Mazda to co-develop them for mass-production. In order to prove the concept could work on a larger scale beyond small, lightweight sports cars, NSU needed to think bigger. What followed was one of the most adventurous and advanced saloon cars ever built.
Starting with a completely clean sheet, NSU wasn’t constrained by carry-over parts. Claus Luthe designed a particularly slippery body, with a drag coefficient of 0.35. The compact twin-rotor engine – producing 117bhp from just 995cc – allowed for a compact front-wheel-drive layout. It was underpinned by MacPherson struts at the front, semi-trailing arms at the rear, with powerful ATE disc brakes all-round.
There was a gearbox to match: rather than an auto, the Ro80 was fitted with a three-speed semi-automatic – the same as Porsche’s Sportomatic. A microswitch in the gearlever activated a vacuum-operated clutch to enable manual shifts, with a torque converter to smooth things out and assist with low-rev running.
Launched to international acclaim, the Ro80 was named European Car of the Year in 1968. Close in size to an original Jaguar XJ, it weighed in at just 1251kg thanks to modern construction techniques and that lightweight engine. It was quick enough, and an absolute joy to drive. Sadly, there were problems…
The Ro80 was expensive to build, thirsty – and suffered epic unreliability. Worn rotor tips caused low compression and poor running, forcing NSU to stump up for thousands of replacement engines. An update in 1969 with strengthened rotor tip seals cured the problem, but costs had spiralled. Furthermore, drivers unused to the transmission were labouring the Wankel in top gear, fouling the spark plugs. Cue a litany of unnecessary warranty jobs. The VW group bought out NSU in 1969.
Despite the issues, VW continued production up to April 1977. The NSU name died with it, although the spirit of the pioneering company lived on within Audi. The Neckarsulm plant produced some of Audi’s most ground-breaking cars, such as the aerodynamic Audi 100 C3 (there had even been plans for a rotary-powered version), the lightweight aluminium A2, and Audi’s first mid-engined sports car, the R8.
Today, running a rotary requires a mindset adjustment but, once you get a handle on its specific needs, a well-kept example shouldn’t throw up too many headaches. It’s certainly a leftfield choice, but the Ro80’s low-profile image and fear aroused by the Wankel engine have kept values temptingly low, too. Be brave. It’s an all-time great.
Common problems
• Although specialists are now very well-versed with the weaknesses and fixes for the Ro80’s engine, there are still bad examples out there. The only way to ensure that it’s healthy is to measure the compression on each of the chambers, a job best left to specialists. Also look out for signs of overheating.
• Rust can be quite a problem, so inspect the sills, wheelarches, front valance, chassis legs and all suspension mounting points.
What to pay?
Set your sights on a well-maintained car in great condition, and you will potentially have to part
with £10,000. Perfect, low-mileage cars are rare but can be north of £15,000. There are plenty of good, honest cars starting from around £6000, with projects from about £2500. There’s some interest in cars converted to Ford V4 power during the 1980s, but they’re generally less desirable. Unless you’re looking for a project to re-engine, we’d steer clear.
