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36-684: Noted for innovative, aerodynamic styling by Claus Luthe and a technologically advanced powertrain, the Ro 80 featured a 84 kW (113 bhp), 995 cc (60.7 cu in) twin-rotor Wankel engine driving the front wheels through a semi-automatic transmission with an innovative vacuum-operated clutch system. Engine dimensions ( Comotor units): length 412 mm (16.2 in); width 340 mm (13 in), height 340 mm (13 in), weight 101 kg (223 lb). Power 80 kW (107 hp) at 6,500 rpm; torque 137 N⋅m (101 lbf⋅ft) at 3,000 rpm (all figures approximate). The Ro 80

72-399: A tungsten carbide – cobalt material can be increased by adding 6–30% of titanium carbide to tungsten carbide. This forms a solid solution that is more brittle and susceptible to breakage. Titanium carbide can be etched with reactive-ion etching . Titanium carbide is used in preparation of cermets , which are frequently used to machine steel materials at high cutting speed. It

108-455: A carpeted floor. Leather seats were a factory option, although rarely specified. The company's limited resources focused on improving the reliability of the rotary engine, with much attention given to the material used for the three rotor tips (apex seals) for the oval-like epitrochoid -shaped rotor housing that sealed the combustion chambers. A feature of the engine was its willingness to rev quickly and quietly to very high engine speeds, but it

144-538: A challenge for the design team to better the Mercedes-Benz W126 , the benchmark in European luxury vehicles at the time. The W126 was a highly conservative design, penned by Bruno Sacco , but Luthe took a far more radical approach. A sleek, streamlined, wedge-shaped body, in some ways reminiscent of the trend-setting Ro 80, and unconventional L-shaped taillights, the new E32 was very much the antithesis of

180-570: A deeply Catholic family. His father died on the Eastern Front when he was just 12 years old. Luthe originally wanted to follow his elder brother into a career in architecture, but took an apprenticeship from 1948 to 1954 as a coachbuilding student at Karosseriebauer Voll in Würzburg , where he worked on proposals for buses. After completing his apprenticeship, he joined Deutsche Fiat AG , where he was, among other activities, responsible for

216-595: A form of the very rare mineral khamrabaevite ( Russian : Хамрабаевит ) - (Ti,V,Fe)C. It was discovered in 1984 on Mount Arashan in the Chatkal District , USSR (modern Kyrgyzstan ), near the Uzbek border. The mineral was named after Ibragim Khamrabaevich Khamrabaev, director of Geology and Geophysics of Tashkent , Uzbekistan . Its crystals as found in nature range in size from 0.1 to 0.3 mm. Titanium carbide has an elastic modulus of approximately 400 GPa and

252-459: A shear modulus of 188 GPa. Titanium carbide is soluble in solid titanium oxide , with a range of compositions which are collectively named "titanium oxycarbide" and created by carbothermic reduction of the oxide. Tool bits without tungsten content can be made of titanium carbide in nickel -cobalt matrix cermet , enhancing the cutting speed, precision, and smoothness of the workpiece. The resistance to wear , corrosion , and oxidation of

288-657: A very similar design. NSU management decided that changes were needed, and an NSU board member who had just returned from the United States described the Corvair design to Luthe, who incorporated some of the elements into the Prinz's bathtub design. With the growth of the German economy, NSU was interested in offering larger cars to the growing middle class, and in 1962 NSU president Gerd Stieler von Heydekampf authorized

324-580: The Prinz and the Ro 80, but came to the market in 1971 as a Volkswagen K70, after considerable delays, partly due to the Volkswagen acquisition of NSU, and with modifications to Luthe's original design. Following the takeover of NSU by Volkswagen , Luthe continued to work for Audi from 1971 to 1976. His first project at Audi was the Audi 50 , on which the original Volkswagen Polo was based. Luthe completed

360-408: The 1970s designs such as Citroën 's. The shape was also slippery, with a drag coefficient of 0.355 (very low for the era). This allowed for a top speed of 180 km/h (112 mph). Indeed, comparisons have been drawn between the design of the Ro 80 and the aerodynamic 1982 Audi 100 built in the same factory some 15 years later. Interior trim combined cloth-covered seats with PVC headlining and

396-577: The Bavarian manufacturer's designs in a more creative, stylish direction. At the time, the company offered a full line of products, from the E21 3 Series to the E23 7 Series , all with relatively conservative designs developed under Bracq's direction. Luthe, then, was tasked with developing a facelift for the aging E12 5 Series within a budget of USD 100 million. Luthe solved the cost restraint problem by reusing

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432-527: The C-pillar behind the doors. In August 1970 a slightly reshaped plastic grill replaced the metal grill of the early cars, and a minimal facelift in May 1975 saw the final cars getting enlarged rear lights and rubber inserts in the bumpers which increased the car's overall length by 15 mm to 4,795 mm. The placement of the rear license plate was also changed from below the bumper to above it. This resulted in

468-671: The W126. In spite of Luthe's concerns, the BMW board approved the design with enthusiasm. He then supervised the design of the E36 3 Series, and by 1990 he was named the head of BMW’s design department, supervising the creation of the 1989 E31 8 Series coupe , and the third-generation E34 5 Series . Luthe was married with four children. He left his post at BMW after being accused of fatally stabbing his 33-year-old, chronically drug-dependent oldest son, Ulrich after an argument on Good Friday in 1990. He

504-425: The boot lid lock being repositioned to the rear lip of the boot lid itself, instead of just below it. The car developed an early reputation for unreliability. The Ro 80 engine in particular suffered from construction faults, among many other problems, and some early cars required a rebuilt engine before 50,000 kilometres (31,000 mi), with problems arising as early as 24,000 kilometres (15,000 mi). Originally,

540-474: The boot, but the improvement was so marginal and the cost involved so high that these outlets remained in the C-pillar." In late 1967, when the remarkable new Ro 80 was introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show , it did not initially gain universal acceptance for its unconventional wedge-like design. However, sales proved to be strong, and by the spring of 1969, there were still waiting lists for

576-456: The car. Unfortunately the early engines suffered from heavy wear of the rotor tip seals in the innovative Wankel engine, causing severe financial losses for NSU. 37,204 Ro 80s were built by the time production finally ceased in 1977, but by that time the company had long been part of Audi, a Volkswagen subsidiary. The K70 was originally created by Luthe as the NSU K70, to fill the gap between

612-449: The compact Wankel engine, itself created by Felix Wankel . Luthe created a clean wedge shape with a large glasshouse, while the engineering team added innovations such as four-wheel independent suspension, semi-automatic transmission and inboard disc brakes to reduce unsprung mass. The Ro 80 still stands today as a milestone in automotive design. It had an initial drag coefficient of only 0.35, remarkably low for its time, even though it

648-412: The development of a mid-sized front-wheel drive sedan, using the company's revolutionary new Wankel engine technology. Chief engineer Ewald Praxl was given the assignment to develop the car, originally envisaged at 800 kg and 80 hp, starting from a clean sheet. Luthe was given responsibility for the design, working with the engineering team of Walter Froede and Georg Jungbluth , to utilize

684-642: The fate of the Ro 80, and the NSU brand as a whole within the Auto Union-NSU combine, as parent company Volkswagen began nurturing Audi as its performance-luxury brand in the late 1970s. After the discontinuation of the Ro 80 in 1977, the Neckarsulm plant was switched over entirely to producing Audi's C- and D- platform vehicles (the 100/200, and later the Audi A6 and A8 ), and the NSU brand disappeared from

720-494: The frontal styling of the original 500 . He soon, however, joined NSU , where he was instrumental in developing the company’s design department. Luthe’s first designs at NSU were the second-generation NSU Prinz 4 and the NSU Wankel Spider . The Prinz had a distinct resemblance to its contemporary Chevrolet Corvair ; the original design had already been finalized when BMW launched its new 700 model in 1959, with

756-425: The gear lever knob operated an internal electric switch that operated a vacuum system which disengaged the clutch. The gear lever itself then could be moved through a standard "H-pattern" gate. The styling, by Claus Luthe who was head of design at NSU and later BMW , was considered very modern at the time; the Ro 80 has been part of many gallery exhibits of modern industrial design. The large glass area foreshadowed

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792-479: The most important figures in postwar European car styling." Luthe was one of the first to embrace digital tools to improve and accelerate the process so that the designers could pass information directly to the engineers in digital form, he changed the methodology of designing into what everybody does today. — Robert Cumberford Luthe was born in 1932 in Wuppertal , the second-oldest of five children in

828-418: The next three years. The relatively high fuel consumption of the rotary engine worked against the car after the dramatic fuel price rises accompanying the oil crisis of 1973 , and between 1974 and 1976 annual production came in well below 2,000 units. In total 37,398 Ro80s were produced during the ten-year production run. Ultimately, it was the contrasting success of the similarly sized Audi 100 that sealed both

864-569: The passenger compartment structure of the E12, but with new front and rear clips and a new interior. Significant technical developments, such as new front and rear axles as well as climate control, were also added, and eventually the project cost for the new model, the E28 reached USD 400 million. However, the BMW management was satisfied that the improvements in the E28 were well worth the costs. The next priority

900-553: The public eye. [REDACTED] Media related to NSU Ro80 at Wikimedia Commons Claus Luthe Claus Luthe (December 8, 1932 – March 17, 2008) was a German car designer, noted for his design work on the NSU Ro 80 , Volkswagen K70 and numerous seminal models from Audi and BMW . Luthe was a pioneer of aerodynamics and digital design within the automotive field. On his death in 2008, The Guardian called Luthe "one of

936-405: The rotor tip seals were made in three pieces, out of the same material. The motor's design caused the centre section to wear more quickly at cold starts compared to the other pieces; the worn centrepieces allowed the two other parts of the seal to move, which in turn allowed combustion products to escape the seals. The tip seal centrepiece was then redesigned using ferrotic material, and the problem

972-469: The styling of the tidy three-door hatchback design, as well as guiding the interior design; the concept of the dashboard design is remarkably similar to that proposed by Luthe (but rejected by the NSU management) in the original Ro 80 prototypes. While the Bertone design house was consulted on the near-final design, only modifying a few small details, such as the upsweep of the chrome trim on the side. The 50

1008-528: Was acquired by Volkswagen in 1969 and merged with Auto Union to create the modern-day Audi company. Series production began in October 1967 and the last examples came off the production line in April 1977. During 1968, the first full year of production, 5,986 cars were produced, increasing to 7,811 in 1969 and falling slightly to 7,200 in 1970. After this output declined, to about 3,000 - 4,000 per year for

1044-491: Was entirely resolved. The fact that the rotary engine design had inherently poor fuel economy (typically 13-16 L/100 km) and a poor understanding of the Wankel engine by dealers and mechanics did not help this situation. By the 1970 model year , most of the reliability issues had been resolved, but a necessarily generous warranty policy and damage to the car's reputation had undermined NSU's financial situation irreparably. NSU

1080-488: Was eventually convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 33 months in prison, but was released before having to serve the complete sentence. He later worked as an external consultant for BMW. Titanium Carbide Titanium carbide , Ti C , is an extremely hard ( Mohs 9–9.5) refractory ceramic material, similar to tungsten carbide . It has the appearance of black powder with the sodium chloride ( face-centered cubic ) crystal structure . It occurs in nature as

1116-437: Was independent on all four wheels, with MacPherson struts at the front and semi-trailing arm suspension at the rear, both of which are space-saving designs commonly used today. Power-assisted ZF rack and pinion steering was used, again foreshadowing more recent designs. The car featured an automatic clutch which was commonly described as a three-speed semi-automatic gearbox: there was no clutch pedal, but instead, touching

NSU Ro 80 - Misplaced Pages Continue

1152-541: Was introduced in August 1974, just three months after the debut of the Volkswagen Golf . He subsequently designed the interior of the second-generation Audi 100 C2 , and produced the initial proposals for the Audi 80 B2 , although the design was modified substantially, and finalized by Giorgetto Giugiaro , after Luthe left Audi. In 1976 Luthe succeeded Paul Bracq as chief designer with BMW , and began to move

1188-403: Was not tested in a wind tunnel until the design was largely finalized. The final production models dropped the drag coefficient to 0.34. "After these wind tunnel tests, the outer shape of the body was not modified at all. We got, however, new insights into the airflow through the engine compartment and the possible air outlets for the passenger room. These could have been moved to the rear end of

1224-437: Was precisely at these high speeds that damage to key engine components occurred: all Ro 80s came with a rev counter, but cars produced after 1971 also came with an "acoustical signal" that warned the driver when the engine was rotating too fast. The Ro 80 remained largely unchanged over its ten-year production. From September 1969 the rectangular headlights were replaced with twin halogen units, and air extractor vents appeared on

1260-558: Was the development of a successor for the E21 3 Series. In order to broaden the appeal of the model, a four-door version was to be added. Luthe maintained a low front profile and the familiar dual round headlights in the E30 successor model, distinguishing the model from the larger 5 Series, while creating a smoother profile, as with the E28. After the launch of the E30, BMW chairman Herbert Quandt set

1296-464: Was voted Car of the Year for 1968 and 37,398 units were manufactured over a ten-year production run, all in a single generation. Other technological features of the Ro 80, aside from the powertrain, were the four-wheel ATE Dunlop disc brakes , which were generally only featured on expensive sports or luxury saloon cars. The front brakes were mounted inboard, reducing the unsprung weight . The suspension

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