NSU TT Sport

NSU TT Sport

The NSU TT (Touring Touring), produced from 1965 to 1972, was one of the most entertaining and successful compact sports sedans of the 1960s — a tiny rear-engined car that combined sophisticated engineering with lightweight construction to deliver performance and handling that embarrassed much larger and more powerful machinery. The TT was NSU's sporting variant of the Prinz 1000 compact sedan, and it achieved remarkable success in motorsport.

The heart of the TT was its 1.2-liter inline-four engine mounted in the rear of the car. This air-cooled engine featured a single overhead camshaft — advanced for a small displacement engine in 1965 — and dual Solex carburetors that helped it produce 70 horsepower at 6,000 rpm. This was an impressive specific output for a naturally aspirated 1.2-liter engine, and it gave the featherweight TT (just 710 kg curb weight) a power-to-weight ratio that allowed it to compete with much larger cars.

The engine's character was eager and willing. It revved freely to its 6,500 rpm redline with mechanical smoothness unusual for an air-cooled four-cylinder. The sound was distinctive — a busy, mechanical note that reflected the overhead camshaft and air cooling. The four-speed manual gearbox featured precise, quick shifts and well-chosen ratios that kept the engine in its power band.

What made the TT truly special was its chassis. The rear engine layout provided excellent traction for acceleration but required careful weight distribution and suspension tuning to avoid the snap oversteer characteristic of rear-engined cars. NSU's engineers succeeded brilliantly — the TT featured independent suspension at all four corners with trailing arms and torsion bars at the front and semi-trailing arms with coil springs at the rear. The result was handling that was responsive, balanced, and remarkably forgiving for a rear-engined car.

The TT's light weight and balanced chassis made it a formidable competitor in touring car racing. The car achieved extraordinary success in under-1300cc class racing throughout Europe in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Privateers loved the TT because it was affordable to purchase, inexpensive to run, and capable of winning against more exotic machinery. The car's willingness to be driven on the limit and its forgiving handling characteristics made it ideal for amateur racers.

Visually, the TT was distinctive with its compact, upright proportions and characteristic NSU front end featuring prominent headlights and a simple grille. The body was boxy and practical rather than beautiful, but the purposeful stance with wide wheels and low ride height gave the car a sporting appearance. The two-door sedan body provided seating for four adults, though the rear-mounted engine meant luggage space was limited to a small trunk in the front.

The interior was simple and functional, with supportive seats, clear instrumentation including a prominent tachometer, and minimal sound insulation. The driving position was upright but comfortable, and the large windows provided excellent visibility. Build quality was good, reflecting NSU's commitment to quality despite the car's affordable pricing.

Approximately 117,200 TTs were produced during the model's run, making it NSU's most successful sporting model. The TT was eventually replaced by the Ro 80 as NSU's flagship, but the company's absorption by Volkswagen and the Ro 80's catastrophic engine problems meant the TT's quirky charm and engineering excellence were never directly continued.

Today, the NSU TT is recognized as one of the great Q-ship sedans — a car that looked like an economy compact but delivered performance and handling that embarrassed genuine sports cars. Clean, well-maintained examples are increasingly collectible as enthusiasts appreciate the purity of the driving experience and the car's remarkable motorsport heritage.