The NSU Spider became the first production vehicle to use a rotary engine when it launched in 1964.
The NSU Spider was a small rear-engined sports car developed by the German company NSU. It used a single Wankel rotary engine designed under the direction of Felix Wankel’s engineering work. The engine had a triangular rotor moving inside an epitrochoidal housing instead of pistons moving up and down in cylinders.
Rotary engines were compact, smooth, and capable of producing strong power for their size. However, early designs faced challenges involving apex-seal durability, emissions, fuel consumption, and long-term reliability. NSU’s later Ro 80 and Mazda’s rotary models became more famous, but neither was the first production application.
The NSU Spider was produced in limited numbers from 1964 to 1967. Its historical importance comes from turning Wankel’s unusual engine principle into a customer-available production automobile.