NSU Ro80

webmaster

webmaster

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Doing the usual ebay - dreaming, and following a recent discussion on Ro80's I found this

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/260842977235

Cheap, but no doubt needs loads of work. Drop in a more conventional engine (rover v8 anybody ?) and it would make a very unusual motor.

Can't say I've ever seen one on the road, and I've only ever seen 1 in a museum.
 
Actually I didn't realise (probably because all the RX7's are RWD) they are FWD, so a RV8 is probably a step too far, but any compact modern fwd engine could be a good swap, I wonder if you could get a 5 pot volvo/ford engine in, or a VW VR type unit. Can't see there being enough room for an 827 engine though.
 
webmaster said:
Drop in a more conventional engine (rover v8 anybody ?).
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ISTR the common conversion at the time was the Ford V4, so a Rover V8 has got to be an improvement on that.
 
rockdemon said:
Another car to get that t series engine into...?
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Absolutely ! Perhaps I should start a mission to install T16's into as many different cars as possible....... Bit like we used to do with the RV8 back in the day. :LOL:

Easy enough in the wife's 216... Maybe I should start with my 75, throw away that dodgy BMW diesel engine, install the nice simple T series, one of the few times you could drop in a T series and end up with a more refined drive. And it wouldn't eat head gaskets like the K's
 
I had a brief summer job at a workshop when I was still training back in 1993 and my boss there had 2 of those things in very nice condition. I think he had a couple more as parts/project cars too. I got to drive the blue one once. Very strange experience, they have a clutchless 3 speed manual which took some getting used to. Don't remember much else about it though.
 
People put Ford V4's in them because it was a short engine .Can't see anything else going in unless you change the transmission as well
 
DaveHerns said:
People put Ford V4's in them because it was a short engine .Can't see anything else going in unless you change the transmission as well
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I can't really see any reason you'd want to keep the transmission, it certainly isn't going to cope with a big hike in power anyway.

Looking at the design, it appears to be a longitudinal engine attached directly to what is effectively a transaxle, to a certain extent it's a bit like the old Audi FWD setup, in fact as Audi bought NSU I wonder if that's where the idea came from. That's why you need such a short engine if retaining the standard trans.

Anyway if you swapped to a convertional transverse FWD layout you should be fine.
 
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