NSU

Treasures of the past

This year's 17th International NSU meeting held at Neckarsulm, Germany, was an emotional affair for both the visitors and the exhibitors. The crowds were wowed by the gorgeous cars, with Siegfried Spiess and his NSU TTS restored in many hours of committed detail work being right in the middle of the action.

For the Spiess Motorenbau GmbH, the token NSU has got a very special meaning as in the middle of the 1950s, a self tuned NSU Fox was one of the first motorbikes Siggi Spiess used to secure win by win and - at the end of the day - the championship. The year 1963, when Siggi Spiess secured the German Touring Car Hillclimb Championship, however, represented the real beginning of the NSU era for Spiess. In 1965, the Sigi Spiess tuned NSU 1000 C engine with its two dual carburettors is used for the first time and secures the championship right away. From this point in time, this version of the NSU 1000 C was sold by NSU as the famous production model called TTS.

In 1967 and 1968, Siggi Spiess also successfully represented the NSU colours. In these years, he won the Hillclimb Championships at the wheel of a works supported NSU Wankelspider.

His love to this car and the technology lived on until today and has even been revitalised when Spiess started to again manufacture in Ditzingen some components for the NSU models of the past. The engine and car components - from rim-stars to cylinders and pistons - are extremely popular and sold nearly faster than being produced.

The demand for Spiess-Tuning parts is immense.

And when you meet the ex-champion presenting his gorgeous racing car, it's just a must to wallow in memories and talk shop - as it was the case in early May, in Neckarsulm.