NSU Ro 80 2-Porte +2 sells for seven times its original estimate

This is why this 1970s Pininfarina is so special

Photo by: RM Sotheby's

By: Roland Hildebrandt

Jan 6, 2025 at 5:24am ET

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'There are shapes that cannot be improved'. Volkswagen used this slogan to advertise the Beetle and we could revive it to describe another car: the NSU Ro 80. It was presented in 1967 and as early as 1971 Pininfarina set to work designing its successor, the Ro 80 2-Porte (2-Door) +2.

Its rather bizarre appearance is still striking today. It was designed by Paolo Martin, who was also responsible for cars such as the Fiat 130 Coupé, the Peugeot 104 or the Ferrari 512S Modulo. The Ro 80 2 Porte +2 made its debut at the Turin Motor Show in 1971 and the following year it was exhibited at the Brussels International Motor Show and then on other occasions, such as the NSU meeting in the Netherlands in 1994.

Rudi Klein bought it for his collection and then in 1995 it became the property of Mercedes-Benz dealer Thomas Taffet of Chatsworth, California. Shortly after, the exclusive NSU was given to the Audi Museum in Ingolstadt, where it was on display until its return to the US (colleagues at Motor1 Germany managed to photograph it in 2019). It was auctioned by RM Sotheby's last October in California as part of the Rudi Klein Junkyard auction with an estimated price of between $60,000 and $80,000 (£48,300 to £64,400 at today's exchange rate). It sold for more than seven times the base amount for $461,500 (approx. £371,000).

A very original line

Based on a later example of the Wankel-engined Ro 80, the Ro 80 2 Porte 2 was designed with the aim of emphasising its aerodynamics, thus sporting large air intakes along the base of the windscreen and on the sides of the roof's sail panels and front quarter panel sections. The angular shape and thick bumpers with wide-band headlights are also striking, but in 1971 these were very fashionable shapes.

Ro 80 2 Doors 2 in the Audi factory museum (2019)

The passenger compartment offers space for two adults and two children, a common configuration in Europe at the time, but with four doors instead of two. And there's another peculiarity: the two rear doors open in the middle. These doors, popularly known as 'suicide' doors, have been banned in Germany since 1961 because, if they are unintentionally opened while driving, they are not pushed shut by the wind, but are suddenly flung open.

This is how the rear doors of the Ro 80 2-Porte +2 are slightly overlapped by the front doors, so that they can only be opened when the latter are already open (hence the name '2-door +2'). Curiously, a Wankel car took up this idea in a modified form more than 30 years later: the Mazda RX-8.

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Another special feature is the roof, much of which can be detached and stored under the boot lid (a solution that anticipates today's folding roofs). In addition, the doors have been specially reinforced to improve side-impact protection.

RM Sotheby's

Photo by: RM Sotheby's

What it looks like inside

The interior of the Ro 80 2-Porte +2 is equally innovative and features a dashboard based on the Ro 80, with all instruments ergonomically positioned in front of the driver. There are adjustable visors to protect against sunlight and ample padding to ensure passenger safety in the event of a collision.