#1959 NSU Prinz

[chadscapture]

1959 NSU Prinz

[of-fear-and-love]

1959 NSU Sport Prinz, designed by Franco Scaglione for Bertone, in Man's Favorite Sport? (1964)

[johnbetts]

#Bloganuary Day 20

Do you remember all the vehicles you have owned? I think I can remember most of them, let’s have a go. 1/ 200cc Triumph Tiger Cub 1959 model 2/ 500cc Triumph Speed Twin. 3/ 6hp, 6volt, Ford E97A Anglia 1956 4/ Vauxhall PA Cresta 1958 5/ Mk1 Ford Consul 6/ Austin A90 Westminster semi-automatic 1958 7/ Ford Corsair 1600cc, 1964 8/ NSU Prinz 9/ Ford 100E van 10/ Ford 100E saloon 11/ Ford…

[germancarssince1946]

1959 NSU Sport Prinz

My tumblr-blogs: germancarssince1946 & frenchcarssince1946

[carsthatnevermadeitetc]

NSU Prinz II, 1959. The 2-cylinder Prinz was the mainstay of NSU’s automobile range throughout the 1950s and into the 60s. It was sold with the slogan "Drive a Prince and you're a King"

[teilix]

NSU Sport-Prinz (1959–1967) for @carsrob 's #coupeweek. Designed by Franco Scaglione at Bertone. 20,831 units were built, the first 2,715 (?) ones at Bertone in Turin and the others in Neckarsulm. #NSUSportPrinz #SportPrinz #FrancoScaglione #Bertone #nsuprinzsport #NSUPrinz #NSU #NSUMotorenwerke #coupe #rarecar #classicaudi #vintageaudi #germancar #carspotting #carspotter #classiccarspotting #oldtimer #classiccar #vintagecar #CarPhotography #petrolicious #classiccaroftheday #classicsdaily #classiccarsdaily #carsofinstagram #automotivephotography #carworld #teilixnsu (hier: Rethem) https://www.instagram.com/p/CWnlpkLIXlt/?utm_medium=tumblr

[howardhawkshollywood]

Mans Favorite Sport Paula Prentiss drives a 1959 NSU Sport Prinz and is heckled by Rock Hudson in a scene from Mans Favorite Sport (1964)

[oldmotors]

Drive a Prince and you’ll be a king (“Fahre ein Prinz und Du bist König”)? Maybe. The original #NSU Prinz was distinctly more proletarian than Royal but it did represent a triumphant comeback. The Neckarsulm-based company had abandoned car production in 1931 after ambitious expansion plans crashed into unhappy market realities in the late 1920s. In 1929 it sold off a new factory in nearby Heilbronn to Fiat and licensed its name for “NSU-Fiat” car production. - Before the war there was little interest in cars at Neckarsulm, and Fiat’s Heilbronn subsidiary, just 7km away, was left to its own devices. But by 1953-54, NSU’s motorcycles had become world famous and it was the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world, which sparked car ambitions, and NSU came to resent “NSU-Fiat” trading off the name. It made plans to build a 400-cc microcar in 1955. Increasingly terse communications between the companies eventually got them in front of a Judge. In the fall of ’56, NSU-Fiat was forced to relinquish the name in favor of Neckar, albeit gradually, and NSU moved ahead with what became the Prinz. - To build the car, a new factory was constructed and the cost of designing and productionizing the car was 7.5M DM, a huge sum even for a firm as successful as NSU. The car bowed at Frankfurt in late 1957. A pilot run of 150 cars was done to iron out last minute bugs, and the little Prinz, with its raucus, 26-hp 583-cc air-cooled twin and crash 4-speed, started arriving at stores in the spring of 1958. In the late 1950s West Germany was full of microcars, and the Prinz was a durable and high-quality entry - it immediately did well at home, and in the spring of 1959 it arrived in the USA via importer Fadex Corp. with offices in NY and CA. - Improvements were quickly made to the car including a synchro gearbox and a 30-hp version called the “Prinz 30,” seen here. 10% of NSU production made its way to the U.S. in 1959 before American “compacts” descended in 1960. The Prinz was too small for most Americans, but Europeans really liked it. The original was superceded in late 1961 by the Prinz 4, but it remained in production for almost another year thanks to continuing interest. https://www.instagram.com/p/B0oPEr8lYbR/?igshid=1yc584pfpl2i

[thatswhywelovegermany]

NSU is an abbreviation of the city the company was based in, Neckarsulm.

The company started as a producer of knitting machines in the 1880, but soon produced bicycles and later motorcycles and cars. After world war II, production of motorcycles resumed first with pre-war models, later with new developments.

When the market demanded proper cars instead of motorcycles, NSU reacted by launching a small car driven by a rear-mounted engine made by bolting together two motorcycle engines. The car was called “Prinz” (”Prince”). A distinctive feature of this car were the wrap-around rear side windows. The Prinz came in three incarnations, simply numbered I (basic), II (more luxurious interior), and III (stronger engine).

In 1959, a coupe version appeared called Sport Prinz. It featured the same small 600 cc engine, which now delivered 30 hp instead of only 20 hp in the sedan.

In 1961, the Prinz received a brand-new enlarged body styled after the Chevrolet Corvair and was now called Prinz 4. It retained the rear-mounted two-cylinder engine of its predecessors. In this shape, the model was produced until 1973.

The Sport Prinz was developed into a convertible, which was equipped with a revolutionary engine: a single-rotor Wankel engine. In 1964, it was the first car with this type of engine produced in series.

Also in 1964, the Prinz became available with a 1000 cc four-cylinder engine producing 43 hp. In combination with the light body, the car was zippy and fast.

The next development of the Prinz was a model with an enlarged front, offering more interior space and boot. The 1100 cc (53 hp) and 1200 (60 hp) engines were unusually powerful for their time.The Prinz had reached the level of mid-sized sedans.

In 1967, a groundbreaking new model appeared: the Ro 80. The wedge-shaped body designed by Claus Luthe influences car design until today. Additionally, the car was equipped with a smootly running two-rotor wankel engine and a semi-automatic three-speed gearbox. The innovative suspension led to aroadhold never experienced before and simultaneously a comfortable ride. The front-wheel drive and long wheelbase allowed for an unprecedentedly spacious interior. The car was quite expensive and although the car had good comfort, some buyers were slightly disappointed with its bald interior design. Worse, the rotary engines were prone to premature failure, which was partly due to false treatment by the owners, partly due mechanics overchallenged with the new technology, and partly due to suboptimal choice of materials in the combustion chamber caused by the pioneering technology. The latter issue was resolved soon by using better materials, and intense training improved the performance of the mechanics. The first issue, however, poor treatment by the owners, remained a problem – driving tests by factory engineers proved that the engines were good for more than 200,000 km. Firstly, the rotary engine were happy to rev and could easily be revved to destruction. Secondly, the semi-automatic gearbox made it possible to start in the highest gear, which led to overworking the engine at low revs and premature wear. NSU responded to these issues with a generous goodwill policy, but the damage to the reputation of the model and its technology was done and the generous repairs wore out the financial capabilities of the company. In fact, the policy was so generous that 35 % of the exchanged engines turned out to be in perfectly fine order. The model remained in production until 1977, and the later units produced under the control of Volkswagen were very reliable cars. The inherently high fuel consumption of the Wankel engine meant that it was not installed in later Audi models, although this was considered for a long time.

In 1969, Volkwagen arranged a merger between its Audi branch and NSU. By this time, NSU had already announced a new mid-sized sedan named K 70 powered by a convenional piston engine, which was derived from the earlier four-cylinder engine of the Prinz, but enlarged to 1500 cc. Since Volkswagen had only dated rear-engined models such as the beetle, the type 3, and the type 4 in its portfolio, the NSU development was marketed under the Volkswagen brand. Volkswagen first enlarged the engine to 1600 cc, later to 1800 cc. The blocky shape of the car meant a poor drag coefficient and consequently a high fuel consumption and low top speed. The elaborate construction meant high production costs and the car was not as inexpensive as carbuyers felt a Volkswagen should be. The intention to position it as a more upmarket model failed due to its relatively small size.

[adrian-ar]

1959 - 1963 NSU Prinz III

[x1857]

1959 NSU Prinz

[chadscapture]

1959 NSU Sport Prinz

[autoglassshopphoenix]

RT https://t.co/fl4wr2s53v RT https://t.co/sSHNmIjYez RT https://t.co/yImivQvQDL RT https://t.co/IbOnVLtace Hemmings Find of the Day – 1959 NSU Prinz #DealerAutoGlassAZ … https://t.co/L08SFsw4qo

RT https://t.co/fl4wr2s53v RT https://t.co/sSHNmIjYez RT https://t.co/yImivQvQDL RT https://t.co/IbOnVLtace Hemmings Find of the Day – 1959 NSU Prinz #DealerAutoGlassAZ #AutoGlass … pic.twitter.com/L08SFsw4qo

— Melieh Glenn (@meliehglenn) August 7, 2018

Source: @meliehglenn August 07, 2018 at 12:00PM More info Windshield Auto Glass Repair and Replacement

[jonathanbelloblog]

Celebrating 20 Years of the Audi TT at the Isle of Man

DOUGLAS, ISLE OF MAN — What does a small island in the Irish Sea and its legendarily perilous motorcycle race have to do with a design-forward German sport coupe? Not much, really, but they do share a name.

The thread begins in 1938, when former mechanic and backup rider Ewald Kluge rode a DKW motorcycle to victory in the TT Lightweight class. DKW, as you may know, is one of the four ancestor companies of modern-day Audi that is represented by the marque’s interlocking rings. NSU picked up the thread in 1965 with the Prinz TT, a rear-engine, rear-drive, four-wheeled homage to NSU’s motorcycling successes in the 1950s, including a TT class win in 1954. Then, in 1998, Audi brought the TT to production. Three successful generations later, we’re celebrating that car’s 20th anniversary at the place that spawned it all.

So far, so good, right? What’s not to love about a brilliant, gorgeous little sports car with deep, deep motorsport roots, even if that history was made on two wheels rather than four? Well, it’s mostly made up, that’s what.

You see, while DKW was in fact part of Auto Union (together with Audi, Horch, and Wanderer) at the time of Kluge’s 1938 TT win, the Auto Union that DKW belonged to ceased to exist shortly after the end of World War II. The Soviets took over the newly formed East Germany and dissolved the company, kicking it out of the Zwickau facility and seizing all funds. An all-new company with a similar name was formed from the wreckage in West Germany and a new headquarters setup in Ingolstadt, but not until 1949. The Zwickau plant went on to build the oft-lampooned Trabant until the 1990s, when it came under the VW Group umbrella—and thereby back into Audi’s orbit. Moreover, the DKW that won the race was a split-cylinder two-stroke that bears even less relation to any of the technology deployed in the current TT other than the serpentine corporate rationale.

What about NSU? At the time of its victory on the Isle of Man, NSU was an independent company; it wasn’t until the Volkswagen Group acquired NSU in 1969 that the marque came into the four-ring fold, and only just—from 1959 to 1965, Audi was owned by Daimler-Benz. NSU’s tenure with Audi didn’t last long, however, and by 1977, the brand was dropped completely.

Claiming any sort of direct lineage from the Tourist Trophy to the Audi TT is, therefore, a bit suspect. Worse, this mostly made-up heritage spiel is frippery, mere marketing schlock unneeded to justify or sell what is, fundamentally, an excellent car. The TT stuns with its design, impresses with its performance, and requires no history lesson whatsoever to enjoy.

Perhaps the scattershot, disjointed connection between the TT and its namesake is the crystallization of everything it means to be Audi, from its far-flung and turbulent past to its present market prominence. The desire to link the modern Audi TT to the Isle of Man—and thereby its spiritual predecessors—is an expression of Audi’s desire to define itself and to establish an origin story that helps contextualize the present and give direction for the future. And regardless of the veracity of the link between TT and TT, the car itself is wonderful.

I know this because I’ve just driven the latest Audi TTS Competition over a closed section of the Snaefell Mountain portion of the TT race circuit. Hustled at a brisk seven-tenths, the TTS is lively, rewarding, and deceptively fast—very little effort is required to maintain triple digit speeds over the winding, undulating mountain pass. Of course we’re nowhere near the 180-mph-plus speeds of a modern TT motorcycle racer over this section, but we’re also nowhere near as close to instant death.

Composed is perhaps the most apt description of the TTS’s handling. There are few situations that leave it out of sorts, and despite the typical Audi front-cantilevered engine location, the Quattro all-wheel-drive system does a good job vectoring the torque around to keep the chassis feeling neutral and pointed in the direction the driver intends. Steering feel isn’t tremendous or particularly tactile, but it’s enough to let you know when grip is about to run out, and the ratio is quick but not so quick it makes it hard to be smooth. All in all, it’s a very well-rounded package.

But this isn’t just the TT’s 20th anniversary; this is also the mid-cycle update. So what’s new?

The main technical update is an additional gear in the dual-clutch transmission, up from six to seven. The new seven-speed arrangement allows for the first six gears to be a bit closer, aiding acceleration, and the seventh gear to be a bit taller, improving cruising economy slightly. In practice, the difference is not massively obvious, but the transmission still shifts crisply and quickly, and is still a pleasure to use.

The new shorter gearing means more low-end mechanical torque, too, which means better in-gear acceleration at any speed. The TT carries forward its standard 220 hp, 258 lb-ft 2.0-liter turbo four, while the TTS pumps up the turbo 2.0-liter’s output, and continues forward with 292 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque, the same as last year. Quattro all-wheel drive is standard on all American TTs.

Otherwise, the differences are mostly those of appearance and equipment. We in the U.S. get a new front bumper design and some new competition-themed package options, but not the updated 3D-style grille of the European car—we heard mumblings of something about U.S. license plates not allowing for much fun to be had.

As for those competition-themed packages, there’s the Audi TT S-line Competition package, not to be confused with the Audi TTS Competition. While the S-line treatment has been around for a while, the 2019 TT gets a few updates to its S-line package, which includes aluminum S-line door sills, a three-spoke flat-bottom steering wheel, unique contrast stitching, brushed aluminum inlays, Alcantara and leather sport seats with embossing, a new Sport mode for the Virtual Cockpit display, 19-inch Audi Sport wheels, gloss black exterior details, red brake calipers, spoiler, and a 10-mm lower S-line sport suspension.

The TTS Competition package, on the other hand, is a new treatment for the midrange TT, and includes an Alcantara/leather flat-bottom steering wheel with 12 o’clock position indicator, brushed aluminum inlays, Alcantara and leather sport seats, an extended interior leather package, color-themed interior element, 20-inch Audi Sport wheels, gloss black exterior details, a new spoiler and exhaust, and red brake calipers.

A 20th Anniversary version of the TT will be offered, too, called the TT 20 Years. Just 999 examples will be built globally, and just 40 coupes and 40 roadsters will be destined for the U.S.

The 2019 Audi TT and TTS go on sale early next year. Final details and pricing will be available closer to launch date, but we don’t expect prices to rise much from their current mid-$40,000s (TT) and mid-$50,000s starting prices.

2019 Audi TTS Specifications

ON SALE Early 2019 PRICE $55,000 (base, est) ENGINE 2.0L turbocharged DOHC 16-valve I-4/292 hp @ 5,400-6,200 rpm, 280 lb-ft @ 1,900-5,300 rpm TRANSMISSION 7-speed automatic LAYOUT 2-door, 2-passenger, front-engine, AWD Coupe EPA MILEAGE 21/27 mpg (city/hwy) L x W x H 165.0 x 72.1 x 52.8 in WHEELBASE 98.6 in WEIGHT 3,2450 lb (est) 0-60 MPH 4.6 sec TOP SPEED 155 mph

[germancarssince1946]

1959 NSU Prinz 30

My tumblr-blogs: germancarssince1946 & frenchcarssince1946

[vivirasturias]

Exposición en el Audi museum mobile: «Revolución, 60 años del motor NSU/Wankel»

El concepto innovador de motor rotativo celebra un aniversario especial

La tecnología del motor rotativo, utilizada en tierra, mar y aire

Exhibición especial en Ingolstadt, del 20 de mayo a 5 de noviembre de 2017

Una parte apasionante de la historia tecnológica se exhibe en el Audi museum mobile de Ingolstadt, dentro de la exposición especial denominada «Revolución, 60 años del motor NSU/Wankel». La ocasión es el 60º aniversario de este concepto de motor rotativo, en su día revolucionario. La marca NSU, predecesora de Audi, llevó esta nueva tecnología en su etapa inicial a vehículos como el prototipo «Prinz 3».

La exposición tendrá lugar del 20 de mayo al 5 de noviembre de 2017, mostrando ese prototipo y otros modelos posteriores con motor Wankel. Aplicaciones en motores de barco, aviones y motocicleta, así como los de cortacéspedes y sierras mecánicas de diversos fabricantes, ilustran también la historia rica en anécdotas de esta tecnología.

«Rotar en vez de moverse alternativamente», esta idea para un motor de combustión interna con pistones rotativos fascinó a Felix Wankel desde finales de la década de 1920. El desarrollo del concepto hasta su validez para la producción en serie tomó más de 30 años. Como parte de su labor de investigación, el autodidacta Wankel se hizo un experto en el sellado de este tipo de motores, pero siempre conservando su objetivo de crear una máquina con pistones rotativos.

A finales de 1953, el análisis metódico de posibles combinaciones de rotores y cárteres llevó a Wankel a acercarse a la idea de un pistón rotante con forma oval en un cárter casi circular que también rotaba. Tal principio despertó el interés de la gerencia de NSU. En marzo de 1954, Wankel diseñó la base de un motor que, en una etapa posterior, llegaría a llevar su nombre. Tres años más tarde, el 1 de febrero de 1957, el motor funcionó por primera vez por su propio impulso en un banco de ensayo de la planta NSU.

El NSU/Wankel Spider hacía su debut en el Salón del Automóvil de Frankfurt

En Neckarsulm, el doctor Walter Froede, jefe del departamento de Desarrollo en NSU, y su equipo simplificaron la estructura tecnológicamente compleja que inicialmente usaba dos componentes que rotaban uno dentro del otro. La primera vez que se utilizó la versión KKM (Kreiskolbenmotor, cuyo significado es «motor de pistón rotativo») del motor fue en 1962, impulsando al sistema llamado «Ski-Craft». Este dispositivo de remolcaje para esquí acuático se exhibe en el Audi museum mobile.

Justo un año más tarde, en septiembre de 1963, el NSU/Wankel Spider hacía su debut en el Salón del Automóvil de Frankfurt. Era el primer vehículo de producción en el mundo con el motor NSU/Wankel, alentando la euforia en torno a esta tecnología. En los años siguientes, prácticamente todos los fabricantes relevantes de automóviles, motocicletas o motores auxiliares formaban parte del nutrido grupo de licenciatarios NSU/Wankel.

Los visitantes de la exposición «Revolución, 60 años del motor NSU/Wankel» podrán ver no sólo el NSU/Wankel Spider, sino también otros vehículos como el prototipo NSU «Prinz 3» Wankel de 1959, y el NSU Ro 80. En 1967, este modelo cargado de tecnología innovadora y diseño intemporal, recibió el galardón Car of the Year. También se exponen dos modelos Audi: el Audi 200 KKM prototipo de 1979 y un Audi A1 e-tron de 2012. Impresionante por su aspecto, también estará el deportivo Italdesign Namir de 2009. Otros vehículos destacados son el Mazda Cosmo 110S, un Citroën M35 y un coche de competición Malibu Virage.

El motor Wankel no fue utilizado solamente en coches, sino que también propulsó a trineos motorizados, camiones de bomberos, sierras motorizadas, lanchas a motor y motocicletas. Y la exposición exhibe una buena muestra de esos productos, así como motores estacionarios o diseccionados.

El Audi museum mobile abre diariamente de 9:00 a 18:00. A partir del 1 de junio el horario cambiará: seguirá siendo de 9:00 a 18:00 de lunes a viernes, mientras que en sábados, domingos y días de fiesta se abrirá de 10:00 a 16:00.

Audi: 60 años del motor NSU/Wankel Exposición en el Audi museum mobile: «Revolución, 60 años del motor NSU/Wankel» El concepto innovador de motor rotativo celebra un aniversario especial…