NSU Supermax

Super 250

It would have been simple enough for a firm with the engineering nous of

NSU – producer of the fabulous Rennmax twins that mopped up the 250cc World Championship for three consecutive years (1953- 1955), knocking the previously dominant Moto Guzzis off their perch – to pump out a conventional, affordable, reliable 250 for the average buyer. But no, what brilliant NSU engineer Albert Roder came up with was far from average.

The Max, first seen in 1952, wasn’t entirely new. Its chassis was basically that of the 200cc Lux that first appeared in 1951, but the power unit was unique; bristling with NSU’s characteristic eccentricity and of the quality of the famed pre-war 251, 351 and 501 OSL models. But while the Max was a triumph of engineering innovation, the sales department was scratching its head on how to price it within reach of the buying public, because the new 250 was extremely expensive to tool up for and produce. What has one cylinder, three conrods, and can live with engines almost twice its size? The answer is an unorthodox looking little four stroke single produced by NSU from 1952 to 1963 – the Max, Spezialmax, Supermax, or in its ultimate, racing form, the Sportmax.