NSU 1906-1977 - Success thanks to innovative technology and design approaches
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Summary
There have been around 10,000 car brands and designers - most of them have disappeared. One of these vanished brands is NSU, which was founded as early as 1906. In the post-war years, it was mainly the Prinz and rear-engined vehicles such as the legendary TT/TTS. Then came the Wankel period with the NSU Spider and the Ro 80. Finally, the K 70 provided the basis for the renewal of Volkswagen. The last NSU was built in 1977.
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From 1904, Neckarsulmer Fahrradwerke AG built large Belgian pipe wagons under license. The smaller Neckarsulm and NSU-Pw followed in 1906. By 1931, 15 four-cylinder models with 1132 to 3606 cm3 had been produced before an alliance with Fiat was formed. It was not until 1957 that the NSU motorcycles were again joined by a car: the 315 cm short Prinz with an air-cooled 583 cc two-cylinder rear engine. The Prinz 4, whose bodywork was inspired by the Chevrolet Corvair (all-round waistline), was developed from it in 1961. The Prinz became an Italian export hit because, unlike the Fiat 600 hatchback, the NSU notchback body looked like a "real" car! Between 1964 and 1966, the Prinz 1000, the Type 110 and the NSU 1200 were added: these were models with an air-cooled four-cylinder rear engine, just like Europe's bestseller, the VW Beetle, but with a transversely mounted OHC engine, much more modern, more powerful, safer to drive, also more spacious and just as reliable - but with a sales structure far inferior to that of Volkswagen! The TT (from 1966) and TTS sports saloons found a large circle of enthusiasts.
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