The Roadster Revolution

The NSU Wankel-Spider were produced by NSU in the years between 1964 and 1967 and is considered the forerunner of the NSU Ro 80 model. It got its name from the built-in single-disc Wankel engine. Up to and including 1967, around 2,400 examples of the Wankel Spider model were produced. From 1967, production of the Spider models was discontinued without a successor model.

The NSU Wankel-Spider were produced by NSU in the years between 1964 and 1967 and is considered the forerunner of the NSU Ro 80 model. It got its name from the built-in single-disc Wankel engine.

The body of the Spider is based only in its basic features on that of the NSU Sport-Prinz. Despite the outward similarity, the differences are serious. Hardly any body part is identical on the Spider and Sport-Prinz. The car has a rear-mounted engine and the water cooler is located at the front of the car to achieve the most even weight distribution possible; the fuel tank (35 liters) is also placed at the front. Since the Wankel engine is lower than a conventional inline engine, there is room for a flat storage space in the rear or above the power unit, in addition to the trunk in the front. The Wankel engine also offers the advantage of comparatively low mass; the power unit weighs only 125 kg with all additional units.

This achieved a top speed of around 155 km/h at 37 kW (50 hp), with this figure being represented by the factories. When accelerating, the Wankel engine accelerated the small sports car from 0 to 100 km/h in 14.5 seconds.

At the time, a Spider model cost around 8,500 marks. From 1966, the price was reduced and the car was available for as little as 7,000 marks. Up to and including 1967, around 2,400 examples of the Wankel Spider model were produced. From 1967, production of the Spider models was discontinued without a successor model.

Read more