Audi NSU RO 80 in Israel

The Audi NSU RO 80 is a business-class sedan with a Wankel rotary engine manufactured from 1967 to 1997 by the German company NSU under the Audi trademark. The model featured a number of technical innovations, many of which later became the standard of the automotive industry. The effect of the first NSU Ro 80 can be compared to the effect of an exploding bomb. European journalists called it the car of 1968. Claus Luthe has truly designed the car of the future. The strict aerodynamic forms characteristic of the Ro 80 gained popularity only decades later, whereas for its time the sedan was too futuristic. However, many people were soon disappointed in the Ro 80, as the Wankel engine required a major overhaul after several years of operation. And no matter how hard Volkswagen tried to keep the model popular, the Ro 80 sales volumes were gradually decreasing. In 1977, the manufacturer stopped the production along with the research work to improve rotary piston engines.