NSU TT TTS
The NSU TTS was the ultimate development of NSU's air-cooled, rear-engined Prinz-based platform. With just 1,177cc and 70 horsepower, the TTS's on-paper statistics seem modest, but in a car weighing just 740 kg, the performance was remarkably lively. NSU had a strong racing heritage, and the TTS became legendary in European touring car racing during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Driven by the likes of Dieter Basche and Hans Herrmann, the TTS would harass and embarrass cars with twice its engine capacity, using its incredible agility, all-independent suspension, and featherweight mass to devastating effect on tight circuits. The road car was a perfectly formed miniature sports sedan, with rev-happy engine, precise gearbox, and handling that rewarded skilled drivers. The rear-engine layout could bite the unwary in the wet, but in competent hands, the TTS was a revelation. NSU was absorbed into Audi/Volkswagen in 1969, and the TTS represents the swan song of one of Germany's most innovative small car manufacturers, a company that also pioneered the Wankel rotary engine with the Ro80.
Extremely rare outside of Germany. Rust is the primary concern on all body panels. Mechanical parts are scarce — NSU specialists in Germany are the best resource. The rear-mounted air-cooled engine is accessible for maintenance. Verify TTS specification (many TTs were converted).
NSU was based in Neckarsulm (the N-S-U stands for the first letters of the river Neckar, Stadt, and Ulm). The factory now produces Audi models. The TTS was the hottest of the TT range, with twin carburetors and higher compression. Race versions produced over 100 hp from the 1.2-liter engine.