NSU Ro80 review. It arrived in 1967 and looked so futuristic but what's it like to drive one today?

Wow this was a review that really touched my heart. My late father had 2 NSU RO80's and for some reason he absolutely adored them? I know they were both later models and one of them had the wankel engine replaced for a Ford V4 which attached to the semi auto gearbox ran absolutely beautifully, the other had its original rotary engine. My father passed away in January this year and his passing has had a really bad effect on me, you think your Dad will always be around and when the day comes when he's suddenly not here anymore without warning or any indication the devastation is unbelievable, so seeing this review by Harry today on a car I would most associated with my father has really cheered me up and for the first time in a long time a little smile to go with it. Thanks Harry...👍🙂👍

Nice to see unusual older cars for a change.

Always been obsessed with those ever since seeing one in the Audi museum in Ingolstadt as a kid. My dad always told me how Ro80 drivers would greet each other by holding up as many fingers as they had replacement engines :D

A neighbour of my parents had one in the early 70s. To put the late 60s £2,100 new price into context, we lived in a typical early 1960s 3 bed semi on a new estate. My parents bought the house in 1965 and paid £2,300 for it.

While it might be tempting to enjoy the higher viewer figures on the modern sports cars, Harry, please carry on pulling in the oddball cars such as this one. Really enjoyed learning about this innovative car.

My all time favourite car. To put things in perspective this car was launched 3 years BEFORE the Morris Marina. NSU were light years ahead in many ways but sadly like many others the financial success didn’t follow. Anyone remember Freddie Laker and his “walk on walk off” cheap transatlantic air service ? Twenty years before Ryanair and EasyJet etc.

A time when car company executives were optimistic and willing to take chances. Love it.

I used a Mazda Capella Wankel engined car here in Australia. It was marvelous!

Wow Harry, this brought back memories! My Dad replaced his Aston Martin DBS6 Vantage, with a Ro80 (4 kids into an Aston just doesn't work!). I don't think the one you were driving was in very good health? - my over-riding memory of it was just how silent it was! Thanks for the show. Definiteley the best car show on the internet! Thank you. :)

Hi Harry, 1969 Ro80 owner here. You can smooth the changes between gears by double clutching, push it out of gear letting go of the lever, give it a rev, then place it in the lower gear. Takes a bit of practice to remember to not touch the gear lever between actions but makes a big difference to the smoothness of the change. The stalling at rest can also be overcome by a tuneup and adjusting the strength of take-up of the vacuum clutch which you adjust with the silver valve unit attached to the RH front inner fender. Thanks for the video, makes me want to take mine for a drive again and to get its paint issues resolved. Hello from Australia.

There was the time that Citroen and NSU were close to each other, They had a company named Comotor to produce Wankel engines, NSU used them on Ro80 and Citroen on GS birotor and M35, also they shared semi automatic idea, Citroen used semi automatics on DS and CX, also you can see other similarities like inboard brakes etc.

Finally, Harry did my alltime- favourite car! I like how he really gives the revs to these rotors. The Ro80 is just a piece of art.

In an era where cars have all the visibility of a duck blind, this airy, flowing design with its lovely greenhouse is a breath of fresh air. Looks as modern as the day it came out. Thanks for covering this amazing bit of automotive history.

As a 59 year old this brings back memories, my Dad had exactly the same spec car in that blue from brand new & it received admiring looks from passers by, we had an orange car before. I would love to know the history of this one to see if it was ours. We travelled down through France, Germany, Austria to Italy to the Audi campsite on an epic holiday all those years ago towing a caravan all the way.

My dad had a garage in Lewisham and he sold NSU as a main agent. The first RO80 came from Germany and to my dads two days before the motor show opened. The following day it went to the show. After the show it came back and my dad purchased it. We had friends who lived in Cornwall we went to see on our first trip. My dad driving it like he stole it. Everyone in the car except my dad was sick. It was a great looking car. When you consider you could still get a morris minor. Anyhow good times

I have an Austin Westminster made in the same year - and that thing might as well be science fiction in comparison. So modern looking!

Really a variety of content on your channel, you never know what to expect next

Loved the RO80 my father had one in white. I remember the stories of drivers waving their fingers at each other when passing to signify how many engines they had gone through.

Wow. I worked on these as a mechanic in an NSU dealership in the sixties and this review brings back so many memories. You must hold the shifter by the shift knob to activate the points in the knob or the clutch servo would not activate. The shifter had a slight rocking motion to it. That’s one of the big things I remember from road testing them.

I live in New Zealand. We had these nice cars on our car market in limited numbers. It was very expensive to buy. The design is fantastic. Way ahead of its time. Especially when looking at other cars of the time.