The Turbo-Rocket: Bitten By The Wankel Bug In An NSU Ro80

The face of the old future

Everybody who knows the Wankel engine (pronounced "Vankel" 'cause German) probably pictures it inside a Mazda. But what if I told you that the Japanese weren't the pioneers of this concept. It was "ze Germanz". More specifically, it was Felix Wankel's pressure on his employer, NSU, to finance the rotary engine's development that made his idea come into fruition. The car we're looking at today is what I consider the "German Citroen DS". Why's that? Because, like the DS, the Ro is totally unique, filled with revolutionary design and engineering, far ahead of its time. This car is the NSU Ro80.

Europe's last Wankel

Before we get crackin' with the Ro80's awesomeness, let's take a short detour around NSU's relationship with the Wankel engine. Back in '64, NSU, a company that was known for its motorbikes and small cars, released the Wankel Spider. It's the world's first ever rotary powered production car. In case you don't know what's so special about this motor, let me shed some light. It's a rounded triangle turning inside a lightly peanut shaped housing. So, instead of a piston going up and down, this triangle turns round and round. One assembly is called a "rotor". The more rotors you have, the larger the displacement, kinda but not exactly like a piston engine. A rotary engine will rev faster and with less vibration while carrying less than half the number of parts of a comparable piston engine. As a result, it is much lighter. It's the only alternative combustion engine that has ever been mass produced up until now. The Wankel Spider has a single rotor engine at the back, under the trunk. That plagued it with a few overheating issues since there was almost non-existent air intakes. This snowballed into multiple engine failures because of the apex seals disintegrating, causing the triangle to rub on the housing. It had been a hefty burden for NSU. But with innovation comes failure... which is then followed by its buddy, "learning from your mistakes". Nevertheless, NSU went up to bet everything on their last creation, their chef d'oeuvre that is the Ro80.

Enter the Ro, bro

The NSU Ro80 was introduced in '67 as a competitor for the likes of companies such as BMW and Mercedes. It stayed in production 'till '77, when VW decided to pull the plug on NSU altogether. Originally, the plans were to build a car with 80 hp, costing 8,000 DM and weighing in at 800 kg, hence the "80" part. But, the development costs for an over-engineered, revolutionary machine were high, which is the reason why NSU raised the bar towards the executive car market. The car they came up with was a front-wheel-drive, four-door sedan with easily enough room for five. Back at a time when companies were still struggling with the concept of disc brakes, the Ro had them on all four corners. When the Americans would piss themselves in their land yachts when a wild corner appeared, the NSU was ahead of the game with its independent suspension all-round. Like the DS, instead of a manual or an automatic, the Ro came with a semi-automatic. Basically, it's a manual gearbox with a torque converter. It's quite cool cause you can change gear whenever you want, without worrying about any clutches. Then, you have quite a few cars in '67 where they didn't have power steering, but the Ro came with it as standard. Anyway, where all the fuss takes place is under the hood. Inside it you'll find NSU's 995cc, twin-rotor Wankel producing around 115hp. Because of this engine and the licencing the company sold to other car manufacturers like GM, Citroen, Mazda etc. thinking it was the future (maybe it is), it stayed in business until it was bought by VW in '69. And yes, they went bust because of today's car. But was it worth it?

Inspiration for Audis to come

The first time I ever saw an Ro80 in the flesh was only about a month back. We went with my friend Thierry to check out a few classic cars in Holland for his collection. The cars we would go inspect that Saturday were the Ro and a beautiful, red Citroen DS. We hit two birds with one stone by riding in two of the most revolutionary cars ever built, in one day. Somewhere in the boonies, there was this complex of warehouses and in one of them was the car. The Ro was sitting right by the entrance. Behind it, though, was a little surprise: a small collection of almost exclusively classic cars. Jackpot! There was a 50's Rolls Royce Silver Cloud, featuring a two tone gold-bordeau paint job. A little further back was a first-gen Chevrolet Corvette in the iconic white on red combo. On the right side of the warehouse was a black 911 Turbo (997), a Delorean, a Ferrari 308 GTS, a 2nd gen ZAZ Zaporozhets (no, it's not gibberish I just invented; this is the car's actual name) and an old Mini. Quite the variety, I have to say. The car marvelousness doesn't stop there. In the parking, there were two more cars I've never, ever seen in the outside world. A lifted, blue, Peugeot 505 wagon 4x4 was rotting away, with more holes than Yellowstone National Park. Next to it was the first car to ever come with a CVT (Constantly Variable Transmission): a DAF 55. Once upon a time, DAF, known mostly for its trucks, produced this subcompact series of cars. Their particularity was that they only had two gears, Drive and Reverse. I won't get into detail, but here's how a CVT works. The driveshaft sends power to two drums, each one equipped with a belt. The two belts are connected to two more drums, further back in the car. They are connected to the wheel mechanism and, depending on the speed the car is moving, the belts move laterally up and down the drum. Like that, the gearbox is constantly changing ratios.

Twin rotors only little
longer than the oil filter

Anyways, Thierry and I inspected the car's condition. It was in quite a good nick for a 40 year-old automobile, with very minimal rust, surprisingly. So, the next step was to drive it, which we obviously did. Fire-up the incredible, twin-rotor Wankel engine and you're greeted with a unique idle. It sounds a little like a two-stroke but much more refined and less noisy. If you didn't know anything about this car, you could even compare its idle to a period four-cylinder. One thing you have to always keep in mind with rotaries is to warm them up before giving them the beans. In this case, it's five minutes at max 4,000 rpm. After that, we had to get used to the gearbox. It does have a "Park" position and if you put it into gear it creeps like an automatic. First gear is a dog-leg and takes you from 0-50 kph. Second gear goes from 0-70 kph and third from 0-180 kph. But, you can still use it like a you'd use a manual, if you wanna make the best out of it. We took it out in an isolated, straight road, so we didn't manage to test its handling capabilities that it's known for. Nevertheless, the engine is buttery smooth in the way it delivers its power, with zero hiccups throughout the rev range. Apparently, this car can go up to 8,000 rpm if you want and it's at the right temperature. I couldn't resist pushing it to 7k in second gear at some point. From the moment I sat in the driver's seat, I was determined to hear that twin-rotor sing. It's a very unique and intoxicating sound. As you approach the redline, it's as if the the second rotor engages or something (which doesn't work like that but for explanation's sake) because the sound of the lower revs is multiplied. At least, it's the case in my ears. After watching an Ro80 exhaust video a few dozen times, I've finally decided: a Wankel engine at full chat sounds like a 54portable vacuum cleaner. Plus, every time you let off the gas, the car cracks and popples like most rotaries. If you add the Dunlop disc brakes on the mix, you have classic car that doesn't drive like one. It drives like a car from more recent times. Most classics need to be babied because of their awful stopping capabilities, slow and peculiar gear changes and wobbly handling. The Ro80 is simply a better engineered car than plenty of its contemporary competitors.

Unique Fuchs rims

In the looks department, the Ro is quite a love-it-or-hate-it car. The front always appeared handsome in my eyes. The rounded grill and headlamp covers, combined with the curvy front give the impression of a moving car, even while static. The wide track and the front flowing underside also compliment the car's unique design. There's this unbroken line that goes around the body, serving as the meeting point of the top and bottom half. The roof is bubble-like because it's lacking any right angles. It surely does resemble a car shaped by the wind, something that even automobiles of recent years seem to have skipped. But back in '67, most cars were either designed with the soul or by a five year old. This rounded roofline is a design feature that was adopted by Audi from the 80's and is still used today if you pay attention to the sedans. All of the generations of the A4, A6, etc. can trace their trademark appearance back to the Ro80. The only part that seems out of place is the car's rear, but we'll let that slide. And how could you forget these, unique to the Ro, optional Fuchs wheels. They're quite close to the look of the Fuchs found on probably half the Porsches in existence.

Roomy cockpit is quite convenient

The interior is monumentally roomy for a sedan. The floor is totally flat, meaning that you can play musical chairs with your co-driver, if the trip's getting tedious. Amenities are few but how many do you really need? You have an original radio, A wing-mirror, a sunroof, a tray under the glovebox for extra storage and a cigarette lighter featuring a Zippo representation. The car we drove came with the black cloth interior. Though, since we have time-travelled back to the 60's, the seats are bouncy and wide, not like today when you wonder if they've remembered to put any padding. The rear passengers also enjoy the luxury of comfortable seats and plenty of legroom to stretch out. A practical, family-friendly classic then.

The Ro in its natural
habitat: modernity

In conclusion, there's absolutely no car like the NSU Ro80. It has no predecessor and no successor. It's a car that I didn't pay attention to before and now I dream of owning one. With only a little more that 37,000 cars produced by the end of its ten year run, it's a classic you basically never see on the road. The Wankel is an incredible concept of an engine, with an unparalleled sound and power delivery. Just the fact that the car has to be revved out to work properly is already a win in my book. The brakes are so confidence inspiring that you forget you're in a car designed in '67. This semi-

automatic gearbox is incredibly pleasant and simple to operate that I wonder why we don't see more of them. The seats are comfy and the visibility is so excellent that I almost mistook the Ro for a fish bowl. I love its aerodynamic shape, especially from the front. I honestly think that the Ro80 could've stayed in production for ten extra years and it wouldn't have seemed at all dated. The Fuchs wheels fit the car like a glove. This car is simply one of the greats. It's masterful to combine elegance and innovation in a product that the common man can afford. NSU went out in '77 with a bang, leaving its philosophy to be entirely savoured with this one automobile: the Ro80.

The sound of the NSU Wankel everybody

Thanks to Paul for letting me drive the Ro80 and to roam around the garage, checking-out all of this beautifully varied car collection.