Rotary Finds a New Vocation
The NSU was used alternately with the Gamma during the summer, usually for long trips. I took it to Buxton in July Maserati vs Ferrari vs Lamborghini September cover shoot (where it received almost as much attention as the exotica). I also used it for a run over to Gravesend in September to see Paul Harris at Pallas Auto for the Citroen DS in the ´60s Best Buys. It did 23mpg on that 280-miles roundtrip, which is fairly good going for a Ro80, but it needed a drop of water when I got back.
My lower seatbelt anchorage had managed to unbolt itself, which was a bit worrying. I also almost lost my front nearside lower door trim, which had been put back on the car with insufficient clips, but I sorted that one myself.
Prior to this, I had FAR fully rustproofed at STP Motor Services in Malvern, something that I’ve been meaning to do for ages because it is very sound and largely original. It would be a shame if it went rusty having survived this long. There is evidence- in the form of title black plastic plugs in various places- that it was protected from new in 1972,
That´s probably why it is still alive and well, plus the fact that it is a less not-prone, on-sunroof car. STP had the NSU for three days because it needed to dry out before they could set to with the preservative oil in the various crevices. The smell faded quite quickly and its reassuring to see the brown gloop dripping from every seam. I had the umpteenth new battery fitted in May, another Power Bull.
“It´s fascinating to see what attracts people´s attention when they get in… usually the lack of rear seatbelts”.
But this time I bought the biggest one that would fit in the hole. It turns it over vigorously and I have had no subsequent electrical problems, other that a wiper motor suddenly decided to get very noisy. Fortunately, I had a spare that Mike Conner fitted to remedy that.
Claus Sting Christensen a Danish entrepreneur, contacted me about this BookAclassic services. He described it as “the Airbnb for classics” and (once I´d looked up what Airbnb actually is) I saw his point. Basically, he´s set up an easily negotiated website through which you can hire a variety of classics. There are 15000 on his books (across 13 countries) for personal or commercial events, be it a birthday do, TV or film work- or just a jolly.
As he put it: “I love old cars and I want to see more of them being used rather than all this boring, characterless modern stuff.” Amen to that.
Anyway, I signed up myself and Ro80(it took only about five minutes) and, within a few days, I was collecting my first victim from Kemble station. Julian Mcdonell, a London tour guide and award winning tourism film maker (see www.joolzguides.com) had some from Bath with his cousin Gill.
It´s fascinating to see what attracts people´s attention when they get inside the NSU for the first time. For non-car people, it is the lack of seatbelts in the rear and the “weird” way that the front ones operate. The beginnings of my explanation about the workings of the rotary engine fell on deaf ears, so I gave up and coventrated on the tour.
We went via Cirencester, Nailsworth, lunch in Terbury and a look around the shops (Julian found himself a Telly Savalas LP) and then a whizz up the M4 to drop them off at the park and ride in Bath.
It was a fun afternoon for which I earnt myself £168. Even taking the NSU´s thirst into account, I think I came out ahead and, moreover, it was an interesting thing to do. The next jobs that I would like to tackle are the corrosion on the nearside rear wheelarch and finding someone to polish the alloys.
More pressing, the brakes have developed a pull to the left at speed, which I’m hoping is not connected to the fact that the torque converter is leaking and allowing oil to find its way onto a disc. The only cure for that is to take the engine out and, to be honest, given that it has weak compression on one rotor, it might as well be rebuilt if it is going to come out. I was hoping to put that job off for a couple of years because it starts readily from cold and easily keeps up with motorway cruising speeds. Fingers crossed that it is just a partially seized from caliper!
Article published in Classic & Sports Car, February 2017
