Italian styling, German engineering, engine in the back. Sounds like a fairytale, a feel-good movie, maybe even a success-story. But with just over 2.000 units sold each year it clearly wasn't. That just had to hurt as the company had became the world's largest motorbike manufacturer by the 1950s.
Neckarsulm, that's where it's manufacturer was established. And that's where some (even Wikipedia) say it's brandname got the 'N' from: 'Neckarsulm Strickmaschinen Union'. Or NSU. That 'S', Strickmaschinen, means 'knitting machine'. But as far as I know NSU is just a constriction of the city, NeckarSUlm. That info I got from an actual NSU owner who just added 'Ein Unternehmen mit den Namen "Neckarsulm Strickmaschinen Union" gab es nie!' to invigorate his thesis.
So it's an NSU Sport Prinz, a sports coupe version of the 'normal' NSU Prinz, a small bread and butter saloon. It was designed by Franco Scaglione (of Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale fame!), working for Bertone at that moment. Bertone also built most of the early Sport Prinzes, around 2500. But most of them were built in Germany at the Drauz Company. I don't think many of you will know Drauz but you should as Drauz made quite a few Porsche 356s!
It was powered by the same (but slightly tuned) engine as the Prinz: a 583cc four-stroke parallel twin with 30hp. After the introduction of the Prinz III it got a somewhat bigger engine (598cc) but power remained the same. But with some factory competition modification you could get over 40hp and although it doesn't seem much: That's over 70hp/litre. And that's quite something for the 50s/60s!
The first car in the world to ever use a Wankel engine, the NSU Spider, was basically a Sport Prinz with a chopped roof and a replaced engine. But that one is for another Teutonic Tuesday.
After 8 years of production, in 1967 it was discontinued. 20.831 had been built. It wasn't just a 'Euro'-thing: it was exported to Australia and the US as well.
Back to the model. It's a Minichamps. And it shows as it's very detailed. Just that wing-mirror seems to be somewhat big but then again: These cars were very small (they weighed just over 500kgs!). Off course a 1/43 (though Minichamps does other scales now and then).
One of 2400 pcs. It's epic. Ich wünsche Ihnen ein besonderes guten Dienstag! Zeig mir Ihre Deutsche Pkw's!