NSU TTS

Press Release

• A history of achievements on the racetrack
• Motor sport since 1949

Collectors, restorers and enthusiasts will be flocking to the world's leading classic car exhibition to mark the start of the new classic car season. Audi Tradition will be adopting a sporting angle at this year's Techno Classica Essen, from April 10 to 13, 2003. Followers of Audi and its predecessor brands will be able to savour the racing atmosphere of yesteryear at the 300 square-metre stand in Hall 7. "Motor sport history since 1949" is Audi's theme this year for its stand at the Essen Exhibition Ground. Motor sport fans and autograph hunters will be particularly interested to hear that Frank Biela, German Touring-Car Championship winner and triple winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours, will be signing autographs on Saturday, April 12 and Sunday, April 13 at 11.00 a.m. and 1.00 and 3.00 p.m. - standing between the two cars he piloted to victory, the Audi V8 quattro GTC from 1991 and the Infineon Audi R8 from 2000. The history of Audi's accomplishments in the sphere of motor sport is peppered with triumphs and titles on racetracks and circuits the world over. In the post-war years, its motorcycles were the ones to capture the limelight. The huge NSU 500 cc compressor racing bike will be on display in Essen; Heiner Fleischmann became German Champion on this 98 bhp bike in 1950 in the 350 cc class. Then, at the start of the 1950s, the spotlight shifted to the legendary DKW racing bikes ridden to victory by Ewald Kluge and Siegfried Wünsche. The 1952 DKW 250 RM and the "wonder-weapon" from Ingolstadt, the 1954 DKW 350 RM, also known as the "Singing Saw", will be on display at Audi's stand, along with the NSU Sportmax: it was on this sports racing bike with aerodynamic fairing that H. P. Müller captured the title of World Champion in the 250 cc class as a private rider in 1955. All the racing cars that Audi is showing at the Techno Classica have likewise earned their place in the annals of motor sport history. Willi Bergmeister became "German Hill Climb Champion" in 1974 with the NSU TTS "Jägermeister". Then, at the start of the 1980s, the revolution in motor racing arrived in the guise of the Audi quattro. There can scarcely be a better example of how motor sport has paved the way for new technical developments than quattro drive. Audi's superior technology on the rally track brought years of domination, capped by two Constructors' and two Drivers' World Championship titles. After withdrawing from rally driving, Walter Röhrl conquered the 4301-metre Pikes Peak in Colorado, USA, in record time with the Audi Sport quattro S1 - Pikes Peak in 1987. Audi had previously already notched up victories there in 1985 and 1986. Audi then enjoyed a highly successful period on high-speed asphalt circuits. Audi won the German Touring-Car Championship with Hans-Joachim Stuck in 1990, and Frank Biela won the title for Audi again in 1991 with the Audi V8 quattro GTC. Alongside this racing car, visitors to the Audi stand will see the impressive specimen that has been capturing the headlines again for Audi for the past three years: the Infineon Audi R8 from 2000. Audi won the Le Mans 24 Hours three times in succession with the same team: Frank Biela, Tom Kristensen and Emanuele Pirro - a unique feat in the lengthy history of Le Mans. The huge trophy of this classic endurance race, which Audi has earned the right to keep for good by virtue of its triple victory, will also be on show. For collectors of rare automotive memorabilia, Audi Tradition will have newly created lifestyle articles and exclusive model cars of the traditional brands Audi, DKW, Horch, Wanderer, Auto Union and NSU on sale. In the immediate vicinity of the stand, eight historic brand clubs supported by Audi Tradition will each have their own, individually designed stands on an area covering 700 square metres: Audi 100 Coupé S Club of Germany, Audi 80 GT/GTE Club, Audi Club of Medium Pressure Engines, Auto Union Veterans Club (AUVC), Munga Club, NSU Wankel Spider Club of Germany, NSU Ro 80 Club of Germany, and NSU Oberhausen Club. Visitors to the exhibition can take part in a prize competition by voting for the most attractive Audi club stand, thus earning them the chance to win mouth-watering prizes on each day. The winning club will be presented with its award by Frank Biela on Saturday, April 12 at 4.30 p.m. The four rings of the Audi badge symbolise the brands Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer, which were later combined under the umbrella of Auto Union. Auto Union and NSU, which merged in 1969, made many significant contributions towards the development of the car. AUDI AG was formed from Audi NSU Auto Union AG in 1985. Together with the two traditional companies Auto Union GmbH and NSU GmbH, Audi Tradition nurtures and presents the deep and diverse history of Audi. The Audi museum mobile at Audi Forum Ingolstadt is open every day of the week from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.