NSU Spider is a passenger car manufactured by NSU Motorenwerke , manufactured from 1964 to 1967. The world's first car with a Wankel rotary piston engine . [1] A total of 2375 vehicles were produced.
| NSU Spider | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Total information | |
| Manufacturer | NSU Motorenwerke |
| Years of production | 1964 - 1967 |
| Assembly | Neckarsulm , Germany |
| Design | |
| Body type | 2-door convertible |
| Layout | rear engine, rear wheel drive |
| Wheel formula | 4 × 2 |
| Transmission | |
| 4-speed synchronized manual transmission | |
| Specifications | |
| Mass-dimensional | |
| Length | 3580 mm |
| Width | 1520 mm |
| Height | 1260 mm |
| Wheelbase | 2020 mm |
| Weight | 700 kg |
| On the market | |
| Other | |
| Designer | Claus Luthe |
Content
Body
The car was first introduced at the 1964 Frankfurt Motor Show . Spider was produced exclusively with a convertible body, based on the NSU Sport Prinz coupe, produced since 1959. In addition to the folding roof, the car externally was distinguished by the presence of a front grill. As with all NSU vehicles, the engine was located at the rear of the machine. In order to balance the weight distribution, a radiator and a 35 liter gas tank were located in the front part, so there was very little luggage space.
Rotary piston engine
The rotary piston engine, invented by Felix Wankel , differed from the piston design of the combustion chamber, which had a quasi-oval shape, inside of which a rotor rotated along the epitrochoid , converting the pressure in it directly into rotational motion. The result was a small economical engine, which in the 1960s was announced by some as an important new step in the automotive industry. Later it turned out that the characteristics of some materials used by NSU in Wankel engines are insufficient for loads, so cars with such engines gain a reputation for being unreliable. Due to frequent engine bulkheads and replacements of worn gaskets, [2] NSU's warranty obligations lead to a financial collapse and bankruptcy of the company and the subsequent merger with Audi in 1969. [2] Mazda becomes the only mass manufacturer of rotary piston engines; piston motors continue to dominate the world.
Initially, the Spider power was 50 l / s (37 kW) at 5500 rpm. On subsequent models, the declared power was 54 l / s (40 kW) at 6,000 rpm.
A compact and lightweight rotary engine mounted above the rear axle. Ignoring the manufacturer’s recommendations, it was possible to achieve over 7000 rpm in lower gears, thus accelerating to 100 km / h in 14.5 seconds. Other sources, possibly based on manufacturer's recommendations, indicated a time of 15.7 seconds.
Sales
With the release of Spider, large sales were not expected, the price of new cars was high enough for that time and amounted to $ 2979. [2] Between 1964 and 1967, 2375 cars were produced. In 1967, Spider was discontinued and replaced by the NSU Ro80 with a second-generation rotary engine; 37398 cars were produced in ten years of Ro 80 production.
In 1966, Al Auger from Richmond, California , became the first official Wankel-powered car racing winner. With the established racing tires, NSU Spider participated in the 1966 and 1967 races in the Sports Car Club of America , where it finished second in the H Modified class. Since the SCCA did not have information about the technical data of the engine, it was assigned to the H Modified class, competing with larger and more powerful motors with a volume of 850 cm³.
Literature
- Eberhard Kittler: DDR Automobil - Klassiker, Band 1. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 3-613-02256-7
- Horst Ihling: Autorennsport in der DDR. Wartburg, EMW & Co. Verlag Delius Klasing, 2006, ISBN 3-7688-5788-3
Notes
- ↑ The Wankel Engine History . theautochannel.com . Date of treatment February 21, 2008. Archived on August 20, 2012.
- ↑ 1 2 3 "The Rotary Club", Don Sherman, Automobile Magazine , February 2008, pp 76-79
Links
- http://www.wankel-spider.de (German)