NSU Ro 80

1967-1977

During the Ro 80’s ten-year production run, NSU produced 37,204 Ro 80’s and problems with premature wear to the apex seals on the car’s 113bhp Wankel engine almost bankrupted NSU, a marque that would go on to form part of Audi. This unfortunate situation lead to a lot of R0 80s being prematurely scrapped, while some had their notoriously troublesome rotary engines replaced by a piston-powered Ford V4 or V6.

Despite the problems with its twin rotor Wankel engine, the Ro 80 was great looking car and featured an impressive range of built-in safety features. The Ro 80 had all round disc brakes (inboard at the front) and its high revving rotary engine was connected to a semi-automatic three- speed gearbox operated by a vacuum-operated clutch. To change gear, the driver pressed a button positioned on top of the gear lever to disengage the clutch rather than depressing a pedal.

Power steering was standard on the Ro 80 and this big saloon’s sophisticated suspension set-up featured MacPherson struts up front complemented by semitrailing arms at the rear. With a wheel planted at each corner and an agile chassis, the Ro 80 handled extremely well and provided a very civilised ride. However, local driving and short journeys accelerated engine wear and an Ro 80 engine could fail terminally after just 20,000 miles; while nursing the car would only extend the life of the Ro 80’s troublesome Wankel engine by a meagre 10,000 miles.