By now, you’ve likely figured out that I enjoy oddball vehicles, especially if they’re German in origin and have four doors. Basically, this all stems from watching Ronin a lot when I was a kid and finding fast sedans that looked entirely benign in traffic enormously cool. The NSU Ro80 wasn’t exactly the 1970s version of a BMW M5, but it was still a significant car in its own right based solely on engineering heft and a zest for building one of the most advanced platforms the industry had ever seen. These days, it’s mostly a footnote for many enthusiasts, but we still pay attention when one shows up as a project like this 1968 example listed here on Facebook Marketplace.
The last time I saw an NSU was at the Tampa Bay Automobile Museum, which had added one to its collection of vehicles that were highly advanced for their time. The museum prides itself on featuring vehicles that broke the mold in some way, and the NSU certainly did that. Everything about this car was a game changer when it was introduced, from the slippery profile that gave it a wind-cheating drag coefficient to the twin-rotor engine that was ultimately its downfall, the Ro80 was like nothing on the road. The NSU also featured front-wheel drive, four wheel disc brakes, and a Tiptronic-style automatic transmission.
All of this in 1968 from a small German company is slightly bananas. The NSU was also lightweight thanks to its novel engine design and emerged on the market to enormous acclaim. After all, on paper, there was very little not to like, so it’s no surprise most automotive editors at the time had high hopes for the Ro80. Even the interior is quite handsome, and if you have a chance, check out a driving video on YouTube so you can see those beautiful gauge faces. The interior of this NSU remains very presentable despite 40 years in storage, with barely any deterioration on the seats or the dash.
Sadly, due to an engineering flaw in the early editions and owner neglect in later cars, the Wankel engine was problematic for NSU. The company ended up replacing engines by the truckload, sometimes for the same customer multiple times. The 117 b.h.p. engine suffered from low compression due to worn rotor tips in the first few batches of cars, while drivers who couldn’t figure out the transmission caused further damage by lugging the engine and fouling spark plugs. If you get this example to run, you’ll want to quickly perform a compression test and check for overheating issues before spending much money on its revival. Hopefully, this is a replacement engine that was looked after before it was parked. Thanks to Barn Finds reader MisterLou for the find.
I’ve driven a Ro80, and it was a delightful little car. The rotary was smooth, as was the ride, and the shape looked better in person than it ever did in photos. I had a bit of trouble with the transmission — putting any pressure on the shift knob disengaged the clutch, often at inopportune times — but other than that, it was a real pleasure.
It surprises me a little that NSU had trouble with the rotary engine, as they have previously used it in the Wankel Spyder (another fun little ride, by the way), but since they never approached the volumes achieved by Mazda, I guess they didn’t have the real-world experience or funds. Even early Mazda rotaries had more than their share of issues.
I don’t know where one would go to get engine parts if a rebuild was necessary, but other than that it might be a fun project.
This Ro80 was listed two years ago by the same seller for $8500, and now at $6000. The seller might well be open to offers….