Audi has celebrated the 150th birthday of its Neckarsulm production facility in Germany by getting a bunch of apprentices to re-imagine a classic car built in 1971 as a sporty future-modern electric based on the company's e-tron platform.
The first NSU Prinz was revealed at the 1957 Frankfurt Motor Show, and rolled off the production line the following year as a boxy two-door with a 600cc two cylinder engine. More versions followed, including a Sport coupe edition and a roadster, and by the time the Prinz 4 arrived in the early 60s, the little car had adopted more aggressive angular styling.
This model was manufactured at the Neckarsulm site by NSU Motorenwerke between 1961 and 1973, but it was a 1971 vehicle that served as the donor car for the 12-strong team of trainees let loose on the design study at the Audi facility back in January.
Team members from bodywork and painting courses tackled the chassis of the newly-named EP4, treating the sheet metal's rust spots, widening the body with 3D-printed "muscular fenders" developed with support from Audi Design, and mounting the top on a modified floor pan from an Audi A1.
Some elements from the original were retained, including front and rear lighting and the "characteristic shoulder and roof lines" but the redesign called for wide wheels wrapped in modern performance tires. The body was given a new paint job in Suzuka Grey and Brilliant Black, a rear wing mounted to the car's roll cage wears Signal Yellow, and the number 150 was applied to the sides.
Meanwhile trainee mechanics removed the 30-hp gasoline engine and replaced it with a 240-hp (176-kW) electric motor from a 2020 Audi e-tron – which can be seen when the tailgate is raised and fixed to a half-open position.
The fuel tank under the new carbon fiber hood was sacrificed for a battery pack from an Audi Q7 TFSI e quattro plug-in hybrid, which is air-cooled via the wide intake at the front bumper while an opening in the hood gives any built-up heat a way to escape.
The roll cage inside is also painted yellow, which contrasts with the black in the rest of the barebones cabin. "Recaro Podium" bucket seats greet the occupants, along with a single-board computer and display that serves as a digital instrument cluster.
Though the project remains a design study, with Audi making no mention of a possible future electric Prinz, the trainees have clearly impressed all the right people at the German auto maker.
"With admirable commitment and considerable creativity, our apprentices have built a tremendous car," said Audi Board Member, Xavier Ros. "They can be really proud of the result. Projects like this show that our company has a strong future thanks to our young talent."
Source: Audi
