NSU Spider

[3] First appearing in 1963,[4] the Spider featured a two-door cabriolet body based on that of the NSU Sport Prinz coupé introduced in 1959.

In addition to the folding roof, the Spider was distinguishable from the hard top car by a grill at the front.

[4] It was later found that the characteristics of critical materials selected and applied by NSU to build production rotary engines were inappropriate to the stresses they would bear, and rotary-engined cars earned a reputation for unreliability.

Engines required frequent rebuilding to replace worn apex seals, and warranty costs associated with installation of the engine in NSU’s second Wankel-engined model destroyed the financial viability of NSU, forcing a merger with Audi in 1969.

Large sales volumes were never envisaged for the car, and this was reflected in a relatively high retail price, USD$2,979.

The engine bay had originally been designed to take the four-stroke air-cooled two-cylinder engine from the NSU Prinz. The rotary unit was much more compact permitting a shallow luggage locker fitted above it. This compensated for a reduction in luggage space at the front of the car because of the front mounting of the cooling radiator.