NSU Ro 80

The NSU Ro 80 is a German compact sedan that marked automotive history as the first series production car equipped with a Wankel rotary engine, launched in 1967 and produced until 1972. The NSU Ro 80 story begins with a revolutionary technological ambition: to offer an innovative vehicle equipped with revolutionary motorization, characterized by a 1.0-liter twin-rotor Wankel delivering 115 horsepower, combined with automatic transmission and front-wheel drive. This NSU Ro 80 model quickly established itself as an intermediate prestige sedan, positioned between classic compacts and large sedans, rivaling competitors such as the Citroën SM or Saab 96. The streamlined and aerodynamic design signed by Claus Luthe, inspired by 1960s sketches, gives it a futuristic silhouette still recognizable today, while its monocoque structure and independent suspension system offer remarkable comfort and stability for the era. The NSU Ro 80 generations remained limited to a single generation, the German company having to stop production faced with rotary engine reliability issues and the oil shocks of the 1970s, but this pioneering vehicle remains a major technical reference and highly sought-after collectible by vintage mechanics enthusiasts and character automobiles lovers, whose historical specification sheet continues to be studied by engineering schools worldwide.