NSU Motorenwerke

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Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox company NSU Motorenwerke AG, or NSU, was a German manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles and pedal cycles, founded in 1873. Acquired by Volkswagen Group in 1969, VW merged NSU with Auto Union, creating Audi NSU Auto Union AG, ultimately Audi. The NSU is an abbreviation of the name Neckarsulm.

History

File:Nsu 6 18 PS Doppelphaeton 1913.jpg
NSU 6/18 PS Doppelphaeton 1913
File:1928 NSU 6-30 (Audi Forum Neckarsulm).jpg
NSU 6/30 (1928)
File:NSU Vereinigte Fahrzeugwerke AG 1928.jpg
Share of the NSU Vereinigte Fahrzeugwerke AG, issued December 1928
File:NSU Max - Toni Spurzem 1956.jpg
NSU Max Standard 1956

Origin

NSU originated as the "Mechanische Werkstätte zur Herstellung von Strickmaschinen",<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> a knitting machine manufacturer established in 1873 by Christian Schmidt, a technically astute entrepreneur, in the town of Riedlingen on the Danube.Template:Sfn The business relocated in 1880 to Neckarsulm.Template:Sfn There followed a period of rapid growth and in 1886, the company began to produce bicycles, the first of them a 'high wheeler' or 'Penny-farthing' branded as the "Germania".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> By 1892, bicycle manufacturing had completely replaced knitting machine production. At about this time, the name NSU appeared as a brand name.

The first NSU motorcycle appeared in 1901,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> followed by the first NSU car in 1905. In World War I the company made motorcycles and trucks for the German Army.

In 1932, under pressure from their bank (Dresdner Bank), NSU recognised the failure of their attempt to break into volume automobile production, and their recently built car factory in Heilbronn was sold to Fiat,<ref name=Spiegel361956>Template:Cite web</ref> who used the plant to assemble Fiat models for the German market. From 1957, NSU-Fiat cars assumed the brand name Neckar.

In World War II, NSU made the Kettenkrad, the NSU HK101, a half-tracked motorcycle with the engine of the Opel Olympia. They also made the 251 OSL motorcycle in the war.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

After WW II

In December 1946, Das Auto reported the company had resumed the manufacture of bicycles and motor-bicycles at Neckarsulm.<ref name=DasAuto01>Template:Cite journal</ref> For Germany, this was a time of new beginnings, and in July 1946, a new board was appointed, headed by General Director Walter Egon Niegtsch, who earlier in his career had spent 17 years with Opel.<ref name=DasAuto01/>

NSU motorcycle production resumed, in a completely destroyed plant, with prewar designs like the Quick, OSL, and Konsul motorcycle; furthermore, the HK101 continued to be sold by NSU as an all-terrain vehicle in a civilian version. The first postwar model was the NSU Fox in 1949, available in 2-stroke and 4-stroke versions. In 1953, the NSU Max followed, a 250 cc motorcycle with a unique overhead cam drive driven by reciprocating rods. All these new models had an innovative monocoque frame of pressed steel and a central rear suspension unit. Albert Roder, the chief engineer behind the success story, made it possible that in 1955, NSU became the biggest motorcycle producer in the world. NSU also holds four world records for speed: 1951, 1953, 1954, and 1955. In August 1956, Wilhelm Herz at the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, became the first man to ride a motorcycle faster than Template:Convert.

In 1957, NSU re-entered the car market with the new Prinz (Prince), a small car with a doubled NSU Max engine, an air-cooled two-cylinder engine of Template:Convert and Template:Cvt. Motorcycle production continued until 1968. NSU's last production motorcycle was the Quick 50.<ref name=SparesGallery>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=FredyQ50>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1964, NSU offered the world's first Wankel engined car: the Wankelspider. In development of the project, NSU built the Sport Prinz, with a Template:Cvt Template:Convert 2-rotor.<ref name="Lyons, p.78">Lyons, Pete. "10 Best Ahead-of-Their-Time Machines", in Car and Driver, 1/88, p.78.</ref> In the same year Prinz 1000 and derivatives like the TT and TT/S followed. The Typ 110 (later called 1200SC) was launched in 1965 as a family car with a more spacious body design. The last NSU cars with a conventional four-stroke engine had the air-cooled OHC four-cylinder engine in common. The car was marketed in the U.K. as "NSU TYP 110", and Karobes, a major supplier of car accessories, provided a head rest specially for this car: "A new one which can be fitted without a screw, and may be adjusted forwards and backwards."<ref>Dudley Noble: A New and Larger NSU Model. Financial Times London, 26 February 1966.</ref>

Also in 1964, NSU partnered with Citroën to develop the Wankel engine via the Comotor subsidiary, which resulted in the abortive 1973 Citroën GS Birotor production car.

In 1967, the four-door NSU Ro 80, with a Template:Cvt version of the same 2-rotor,<ref name="Lyons, p.78"/> was presented to the public. Weighing Template:Convert, it had a Cd of 0.36, disc brakes, independent suspension, and front wheel drive by Fichtel & Sachs Saxomatic three-speed transmission.<ref name="Lyons, p.78"/> It soon gained several design awards such as "car of the year 1967", while drivers liked its performance.<ref name="Lyons, p.78"/> Virtually all the world's major motor manufacturers purchased licenses from NSU to develop and produce the rotary-piston engine, with the notable exception of BMW.<ref name=AutoMotoruSport19961303>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Despite its public acclaim, sales of the Ro 80 were disappointing. The transmission drew complaints and the engine suffered numerous failures even at low mileage.<ref name="Lyons, p.78"/> Competitor automakers, apart from Mazda, held back from taking a lead in developing and marketing the Wankel technology, and anticipated income associated with those royalty deals failed to materialize.

Volkswagen Group takeover

The development of the rotary engine was very cost-intensive for the small company. Problems with the apex seals of the engine rotor significantly damaged the brand's reputation amongst consumers. In 1969, the company was taken over by Volkswagenwerk AG, which merged NSU with Auto Union, the owners of the Audi brand which Volkswagen had acquired five years earlier. The new company was called Audi NSU Auto Union AG and represented the effective end of the NSU marque with all future production to bear the Audi badge (although retaining the four interlocking circles of Auto Union). The management of the new combine was initially based at the Neckarsulm plant, however when the small rear-engined NSU models (Prinz 4, 1000, 1200) were phased out in 1973, the Ro 80 was the last car still in production carrying the NSU badge. Audi never made use of the brand name NSU again after April 1977, when the last Ro 80 was sold.<ref name="Lyons, p.78"/> In 1985, the company name was shortened to Audi AG and management moved back to Audi's headquarters in Ingolstadt.

Even as production of the Ro 80 continued in the Neckarsulm plant, production of larger Audi models like 100 and 200 was started. The Porsche 924 and later Porsche 944 were also assembled at Neckarsulm. Those models were joint venture projects of Porsche and VW, but Porsche did not have the internal capacity to build the 924 and 944. Currently, Neckarsulm is the production plant for Audi's topline vehicles such as A6, A8, and R8. It is also the home of the "Aluminium- und Leichtbauzentrum" where Audi's aluminium-made space frame bodies are designed and engineered.

NSU is primarily remembered today as the first licensee and one of only four automobile companies to produce cars for sale with rotary-piston Wankel engines. NSU invented the principle of the modern Wankel engine with an inner rotor. The NSU Ro 80 was the second mass-produced two-rotor Wankel-powered vehicle after the Mazda Cosmo. In 1967, NSU and Citroën set up a common company, Comotor, to build engines for Citroën and other car makers. Norton made motorcycles using Wankel engines. AvtoVaz (Lada) manufactured single and twin rotored Wankel powered cars in the early 1980s. Only Mazda has continued developing the Wankel engine and made several more cars with the Wankel engine. NSU developed their last car in a recognisably conventional layout, (front engine front wheel drive, water cooled) - this was the NSU K70, Volkswagen adopted this as their first water cooled front-engined car the VW K70. The first VW Golf cars used the NSU K70 engine which was almost identical. Subsequent VW models shared no lineage with NSU models, being descended from Auto-Union designs.

Lawn mower engine

In the early 1970s, NSU manufactured a vertical-crankshaft small engine for use as a lawn mower power unit.<ref>"Now You Can 'Mow' with a Wankel!" Popular Science, July 1973 p. 18</ref>

NSU Museum

A museum in Neckarsulm, the Deutsches Zweirad- und NSU-Museum, has many of NSU's products on display.

Notable riders

Mike Hailwood raced in 1958 on Ducati, NSU, MV Agusta, Norton, Triumph, Paton and in 1958 was 4th in the world championship 250cc (NSU) 5. John Surtees<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> entered in the 1955 season. That year, he gained his first podiums on a Norton in 350cc in Germany and Ulster. He also won the round in 250cc while riding the best lap in the race for his only appearance at the handlebars of a NSU. John Surtees remains the only champion of the world in both motorcycle racing and Formula 1.

pilots:

  • Hermann Paul Müller (born in Bielefeld, 21 November 1909 – died in Ingolstadt, 30 December 1975) was a German sidecar, motorcycle, and race car driver.
  • Hans Baltisberger (born 16 September 1924 – 26 August 1956 ) was a German professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer.
  • Florian Camathias (23 March 1924 – 10 October 1965) was a Swiss professional Grand Prix motorcycle and sidecar racer
  • Louis Meznarie (14 January 1930) is a former French engine preparation expert and a team owner entrant to 24 Hours of Le Mans.
  • Rupert Hollaus (4 September 1931 in Traisen – 11 September 1954) was an Austrian Grand Prix motorcycle road racer who competed for the NSU factory racing team.
  • Rudi Thalhammer (born 1 February 1935) was a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from Austria.
  • Georg Braun (born 2 September 1918 in Hechingen, Province of Hohenzollern) was a German Grand Prix motorcycle road racer.
  • Helmut Hallmeier (1933 – 26 June 1976) was a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from the Germany.
  • Geoff Duke (St Helens, Lancashire, 29 March 1923 – Man, 1 May 2015) was a motorcycle racer from England.
  • Bill Lomas (1928–2007) was an English former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer.
  • Reg Armstrong (1 September 1928 – November 1979) was an Irish professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer.
  • Umberto Masetti (4 May 1926 – 28 May 2006) was an Italian two-time World Champion Grand Prix motorcycle road racer.
  • Sammy Miller, MBE (born 11 November 1933 in Belfast, Northern Ireland) is a championship winning motorcycle racer, in both road racing and trials. He was awarded an MBE in the 2009 New Year Honours
  • Tommy Robb, (born 14 October 1934) is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from Northern Ireland.
  • Bob Brown, (9 May 1930 in Sydney – 23 July 1960 at Solituderennen) was an Australian professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer.
  • Arthur Wheeler, (5 August 1916 – 16 June 2001) was an English professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer.
  • Horst Kassner was a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from Germany.

NSU cars

NSU- (and NSU-Pipe) Cars (1905–1918)

The first NSU cars were the single cylinder 3-wheeled Sulmobil, first produced in 1905. At the same time NSU produced the NSU-Pipe 34 PS and NSU-Pipe 50 PS under licence from the Belgian firm of Pipe. Two further Pipe models were to follow, and a range of NSU-specific 3- and 4-wheeled models.

NSU-Cars (licensed from Pipe; 1905–1910) Source:Template:SfnTemplate:Rp

Type Motor (all FourStroke) Engine size in cm3 max. Power in PS At engine speed (rpm) Years Picture
Template:Ill 4-Cylinder 3768 34 – 1905–1906 –
NSU-Pipe 50 PS 4-Cylinder 8290 50 – 1905–1906 –
NSU-Pipe 15/24 PS 4-Cylinder 3768 24 1650 1906–1910 –
NSU-Pipe 25/40 PS 6-Cylinder 6494 40 1100 1908–1909 –

NSU-Cars (1905–1918) Source:Template:SfnTemplate:Rp

Type Motor (all FourStroke) Engine size in cm3 max. Power in PS At engine speed (rpm) Years Picture
NSU Sulmobil Typ II/IV 1-Cylinder 451 3,5 – 1905–1909 –
NSU Sulmobil Typ III 2-Cylinder 795 5,5 – 1909 –
NSU 6/8 PS 1-Cylinder 451 8 – 1906 –
NSU 6/10 PS 4-Cylinder 1420 12 1650 1906–1907 –<ref>NSU 6/10 hp automobile, 1906 at audi.com Accessed 2 January 2017 Template:Webarchive</ref>
NSU 6/12 PS 4-Cylinder 1540 13 1500 1907–1909 –
NSU 6/14 PS 4-Cylinder 1560 14 1650 1910–1911 –
NSU 6/18 PS 4-Cylinder 1560 18 1800 1911–1914 –
NSU 10/20 PS 4-Cylinder 2608 20 1400 1907–1910 –<ref>NSU 10/20 hp automobile, 1908 at audi.com Accessed 2 January 2017 Template:Webarchive</ref>
NSU 10/22 PS 4-Cylinder 2608 22 1400 1910–1911 –
NSU 10/30 PS 4-Cylinder 2608 30 1600 1911–1916 –<ref>NSU 10/30 hp automobile, 1911 at audi.com Accessed 2 January 2017 Template:Webarchive</ref>
NSU 5/10 PS 2-Cylinder 1105 10 1400 1910 –
NSU 5/11 PS 2-Cylinder 1105 11 1400 1911–1913 –
NSU 5/10 PS 4-Cylinder 1132 10 1600 1910–1911 –
NSU 5/11 PS 4-Cylinder 1132 11 1600 1911–1913 –
NSU 8/15 PS 4-Cylinder 1750 16 1500 1907–1910 –
NSU 9/18 PS 4-Cylinder 2208 18 1400 1910–1911 –
NSU 9/22 PS 4-Cylinder 2208 22 1400 1911–1912 –
NSU 9/27 PS 4-Cylinder 2208 27 1400 1911–1912 –
NSU 8/24 PS 4-Cylinder 2110 24 1800 1911–1918 –<ref>NSU 8/24 hp automobile, 1912 at audi.com Accessed 2 January 2017 Template:Webarchive</ref>
NSU 13/40 PS 4-Cylinder 3397–3768 40 1800 1911–1912 –
NSU 13/35 PS 4-Cylinder 3397 35–40 1700 1912–1914 –
NSU 5/12 PS 4-Cylinder 1132 12 1600 1913–1914 –
NSU 5/15 PS 4-Cylinder 1232 15 1800 1914–1918 -<ref>NSU 5/15 hp automobile, 1914 at audi.com Accessed 2 January 2017 Template:Webarchive</ref>
NSU 1¼-Tonner 4-Cylinder 3397 35 1800 1914–1918 –
NSU 2½-Tonner 4-Cylinder 3380 42 1700 1914–1926 –<ref>NSU 2.5 tonne truck, 1914 at audi.com Accessed 2 January 2017 Template:Webarchive</ref>

NSU Cars (1919–1931)

Source:Template:SfnTemplate:Rp

Type Motor (all FourStroke) Engine size in cm3 max. Power in PS At engine speed (rpm) Years Picture
NSU 8/24 PS 4-Cylinder 2110 30 2100 1921–1925 –
NSU 14/40 PS 4-Cylinder 3606 54 2000 1921–1925 –
NSU 5/15 PS 4-Cylinder 1231 21 2100 1921–1925 –
NSU 8/32 PS Lieferwagen (Delivery truck) 4-Cylinder 2088 32 2200 1925–1927 –
NSU 5/25 PS 4-Cylinder 1307 25 2900 1925–1928 –
NSU 8/40 PS 4-Cylinder 2088 40 2800 1925–1927 –
NSU 5/15 PS (Kompressor-Rennwagen) (Supercharger race car) 4-Cylinder 1232 40–50 4000 1923–1925 –
NSU 6/60 PS (Kompressor-Rennwagen) (Supercharger race car) 6-Cylinder 1482 60 3800 1925–1926 –
NSU 6/30 PS 6-Cylinder 1567 30 3000 1928 –
NSU 7/34 PS 6-Cylinder 1781 34 3200 1928–1931 –

NSU Car post-war models

Template:Multiple image

NSU produced the following postwar cars:

Licence-built models made abroad

File:NSU P10.jpg
1970 NSU P10, made by Nordex S.A. in Uruguay

The NSU Prinz was also built in Yugoslavia (by PRETIS), Argentina (by Autoar) and Egypt, under licence.

In Uruguay, the Prinz 4 was built by Nordex S.A., and a new model, the P6, combined the engine and mechanics of the NSU model with a separate body completely redesigned by Carlos Sotomayor. From 1970, the P10 was built as the successor model to the NSU P6. This had the larger engine of the NSU Prince 1000 and a 21 cm extended wheelbase. Template:Clear

NSU motorcycles and scooters

The first "Neckarsulmer Motorrad" motorcycle was produced in 1901, using a Swiss Template:Cvt Zedel single-cylinder AIV (automatic inlet valve) motor with battery/coil ignition, clamped at the underside of a heavy-duty bicycle frame (of NSU manufacture), with the crankcase slightly below and in front of the pedal crank. Specialized racing motorcycles were campaigned from 1905 in events in Europe, the UK, and USA. In 1907, British manager Martin Geiger rode an NSU in the inaugural Isle of Man TT, placing fifth.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> NSU had several successes in the Isle of Man TT races in the 1950s. In 1908, an NSU v-twin took part in the Ormonde-Daytona beach speed record races for cars and motorcycles, ridden by Eugene Gaestral, who returned with an improved machine the following year.

In the 1930s, and in the mid-1950s, NSU was the largest motorcycle producer of the world, in its peak year (1955) producing 350,000 machines.Template:Sfn NSU holds four world records for speed: 1951, 1953, 1954 and 1955. In 1956, NSU brought a team of six motorcycles of different engine capacities to Bonneville, Utah, to set World Land Speed Records. They had success in all categories, and most notably raised the absolute motorcycle speed record to 211 mph, with Wilhelm Herz piloting the Delphin III, a fully streamlined motorcycle with a 500cc supercharged DOHC twin-cylinder Rennsport engine.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This machine still exists, in the Audi Museum in Stuttgart, Germany.

The NSU Quickly was the most popular moped of its time.Template:Citation needed It was produced between 1953 and 1966 in over 1,000,000 examples and still can be found today all over the world as more than 60% were exported.

NSU bicycles

Bicycle production began in 1900 and continued into the early 1960s.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

NSU military vehicles

NSU was the principal maker of the Kettenkrad halftracked motorcycle (1940–1949) The Sd.Kfz. 2 was designed and built by NSU Motorenwerke AG in Neckarsulm, Germany. Designed and patented in June 1939, it was used for the first time during the invasion of the Soviet Union Operation Barbarossa in 1941.

File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-725-0184-22, Russland, Soldaten auf Kettenkrad.jpg

See also

References

Notes

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Bibliography

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Template:Major German motorcycle manufacturers Template:German bicycle manufacturers Template:Volkswagen Group brands Template:250cc/Moto2 World Constructors' Champions Template:125cc/Moto3 World Constructors' Champions Template:Authority control

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