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Project NSU TTS: Introduction
Jan 21, 2007
by: Alex Niederfahrenhorst
I can still remember the days back in my home town in Germany when a 90-degree curve at the ice cream shop was the local hang out for teens and young adults. Everybody who thought they had a cool car had to cruise that curve more than once an evening to show off. It was the early �80s and I can still picture the Simca Rallys and NSU TTs going around that bend as if they were on rails. That memory is what spurred me to find myself an NSU as my next project car. It was the only real choice after having several air-cooled VW Beetle projects. Like the vintage VWs, the NSU also has a rear engine which is air cooled��but this time it is an inline four.
History of NSU
Not an original ring in the fabled four-ring logo as it was acquired after the forming of Auto Union, the NSU brand still marks itself as one of the oldest companies within the long and storied history of Audi. The NSU company dates back to 1873, when the company was created by Christian Schmidt and Heinrich Stoll. NSU began by manufacturing machines for the textile industry and thereafter started to produce bicycles. NSU also made vehicle chassis for Daimler in 1888 and in 1890 NSU began supply for Peugeot.
By 1901 the first NSU-badged Motorcycle was produced and in 1906 NSU began to look into producing their own automobiles. After the First World War, NSU concentrated on producing motorcycles and car chassis for which the bodies were made by Drautz. In the years of 1921, 1923 and 1924, NSU won several races on the AVUS racetrack in Berlin and began to make a name for itself in motorsport. In 1925, NSU produced a supercharged 6-cylinder race car that won the first Grand Prix for sport cars.
An interesting fact from that time is the company�s building of the Porsche Type 32 prototypes for Ferdinand Porsche in 1934. These prototypes featured a rear engine and independent suspension and were the first prototypes of the iconic Volkswagen Beetle.
Riding a wave of successes, NSU unfortunately fell on hard times when the stalling economy caused the company to sell off its entire car production with all technical machines to Fiat in 1929, leaving NSU to focus on the production of motorcycles only.
The only thing that could be somewhat car related in the period after the sale of assets to Fiat was the �Kettenkrad� which was produced in 1941 until 1948. It was a mixture between a small tank vehicle and a motorcycle.
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After the Second World War NSU rebuilt itself, becoming the biggest motorcycle producer in the world. Their motorcycles were very successful in racing and also had a few world records which helped to strengthen the NSU name.
The company also eventually returned to automobile production as the public�s demand for enclosed vehicles and the family budgets to afford more expensive transportation began to rise.
A joint venture between NSU Racing Division and inventor Felix Wankel was formed to create a new alternative engine. Today better-known as the Rotary, this sort of engine is still in production by Mazda.
By 1957, NSU introduced the PRINZ I/II car models and the first Wankel engine was started at their test facilities in Neckarsulm. The year after the production of the PRINZ I/II and introduced the coupe SPORTPRINZ.
In 1961 the PRINZ 4 was introduced, a car that featured a new design for a compact. By 1964, 206000 vehicles were already produced and a new model, the 1000L, featured an inline 4-cylinder engine with overhead cam was introduced. Successful sales of these models spawned even more offerings, such as the NSU Spider featuring a Wankel engine. By 1965, the NSU typ 110 and NSU TT, a sportier version of the PRINZ 1000, were rolling off of the assembly line as well. Then, in 1967 NSU made history with the RO80, which was powered by a Wankel engine, nabbing �Car of the Year� honors for its advanced technology. Unfortunately though, the RO80 was the last car to be made wearing the NSU badge.
In 1969 NSU and Auto Union GmbH merged to create AUDI NSU Auto Union AG. A changing focus made NSU-branded vehicles less of a priority and the last RO80 rolled off of the assembly line in 1981. In 1984, the last remnants of NSU were removed, when the name of the company was changed to Audi AG. NSU GmbH was created in the wake of these actions, though mainly as an entity with which to keep the tradition of NSU vehicles alive.
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History of the TTS
Those with modern knowledge of the Audi brand may think of the drop-top Nimbus-grey concept car of the 1990s first shown to hint at the then-upcoming Audi TT Roadster, as well as an S version that we never really got. However, only the more widely read Audiphiles will know that the name originally came from the hottest of all NSU Prinz models.
At the time, NSU customers wanted a sportier version of the Prinz 1000 following its market introduction. Even the TT version, which was produced 2 years later, had it limits due to its manifold and single carburator. It is said that NSU got the idea for the TTS from Siegfried Spiess, an NSU tuner that raced the TT. He took the TT and used the 1000 engine that had been modified with dual carbs and other performance enhancements to enter the car for the 1000cc motorsport series where he was very successful.
In February 1967, NSU started the production of the TTS for mainly motorsports purposes. The factory did everything they could to make the TTS a successful car in racing. The street version had a70hp 1000cc engine with forged pistons for the 10.5-1 compression ratio, bigger valves, dual 40 Solex carburetors, special cam, an optimized manifold and an oil cooler mounted under the bumper at the front to keep the engine cool. The race version had 85hp by using stacks instead of air filters, rejetting the two Solex carbs and using an open exhaust. Motorsport transmissions were offered and CV joint axles were introduced at the differential side.
You could order the TTS in any color you wanted so long as it was Alpha Red, though Targa Orange was introduced later to offer more selection. Through special order, you could also eventually add Silver Metallic, Aero Blue Metallic, Gemini Blue Metallic. Pastel White was also mentioned in later parts documents for the TTS from the period.
Only 2402 TTS models were build from 1967-1971.
Back to the Project
My biggest concern with taking on a project based on such a rare car was the availability of spare parts. Though a cottage industry exists for these cars in Germany, the following in North America is not surprisingly smaller. NSU TTs are still being raced in several motorsport series such as the NSU TT Trophy, Autocross and hill climbs in Germany and other European countries. After researching it a bit more I actually found quite a few resources that offer spare and motorsport parts for NSUs. However most of those shops are across the Atlantic, making their sourcing a bit of a trick.
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Resource list
To say sources for NSU parts are scarce is an understatement. If you�re acclimated to the burgeoning aftermarket for modern Audis and about to plunk money down on an NSU project of your own, you might be in for a rude awakening. However, this isn�t to suggest there�s nothing out there. The cottage industry for these cars may be small, but it�s most-definitely there to be found if you are willing to do some research. Below is a list of several companies we�ve found as we prepare for our NSU TTS build, most of whom will be critical in our completion of the process.
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Finding the Right Car
Searching for a TT on German forums I was contacted by an individual in Ontario, Canada who has quite a healthy collection of NSU cars. After meeting Thomas Kugler and admiring his collection of NSUs, I was offered a TT and a TTS. That choice was easy. Only 2402 TTS models were built by NSU for motorsport purposes, so I had to take the TTS even though it required much more work. Fortunately, motorsport is exactly what I had in mind. I fully intend to do some SOLO1 & 2 racing with the car, and if I get lucky I might be able to go up north to take part of the Targa Newfoundland.
The plan for the car is to make an already light car even lighter. The TTS originally weighed only 670kg. My goal is to get the car down to the 600kg mark. Carbon fibre parts such as hoods, door panels, dash and other small parts should help as well as some lexan (Makrolon) windows and lightweight seats.
The transmission will be converted to a 5 speed, having a nice close ratio gear box that can still cruise on the highway without causing too much stress on the little engine.
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The TTS came with a 1000 cc 70hp engine. The engine will be stroked by offset grinding the crank, and it will also receive some bigger pistons. The result should be a 1370 cc engine with plenty of lightweight stuff to make it rev with about 120hp. Rims will be 8 and 9x13� made by the original NSU TT tuner Spiess-Tuning in Germany. The center piece is made out of a magnesium alloy to make it light and the rim halves are supplied by BBS.
Of course, there will be even more involved with this build, though you�ll have to wait to see just what comes of this car. And, with all this talk about making the car lighter, maybe I should think of losing some weight.
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01-24-2007, 02:24 AM
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