When it was first presented in 1967, the NSU RO 80 was a vehicle that caused a worldwide sensation due to its refinements and technical innovations. For the first time, a completely new aerodynamic saloon design was developed which, thanks to its wedge shape, ensured an incredibly low cd value in the wind tunnel. Another completely new feature was the RO 80's drive system, a twin-disc Wankel engine. Both components ultimately led to NSU-Werke being the first German car manufacturer ever to win the coveted "Car of the Year" award with this vehicle.
"Original model" can only be seen in Altlußheim
The Neckarsulm vehicle factories presented the NSU RO 80 at the 1967 Frankfurt Motor Show with a special cutaway model that revealed many technical details thanks to hydraulic folding mechanisms. In addition to the compact Wankel engine, the dual-circuit braking system and side impact protection made headlines in the trade press, claiming cover space in all the major automotive magazines.
In the anniversary year, all friends of Wankel technology will be particularly pleased that this historic cutaway model did not suffer the fate of most trade fair vehicles in that it was simply scrapped at the end of an advertising campaign.
Museum founder Horst Schultz rescued the special exhibit just in time for his permanent Wankel exhibition at the Autovision Museum in Altlußheim, which has been running for 15 years and is the only one of its kind in the world. Another NSU-RO 80, which has not been cut open, is also on display in classic "glacier white" in the museum's NSU post-war exhibition. And if you want to find out more, you will find all four variants of the drive technology ever installed in the RO 80 in the Wankel engine exhibition at Autovision!
Double anniversary with book publication
In addition to the RO 80 anniversary, 2017 gives Autovision another reason to celebrate, as the museum opened exactly 15 years ago, in September 2002. And as the 6 exhibition areas have since grown to cover an area of over 2500 square meters, Horst Schultz decided to create an accompanying 200-page museum book in this anniversary year, which is now available directly from the Autovision Museum under the title "Autovisionen - gestern, heute, morgen".
Further information can be found on the museum website.