Audi apprentices turn vintage NSU Prinz into electric hot rod

Whether they're from OEMs or aftermarket outfits, electrifying vintage cars is the cool new thing. Audi, and more specifically, a group of 12 technical apprentices, revealed their latest vintage electric conversion: a 1971 NSU Prinz 4. The economy coupe was fully restored and heavily modified with much more electric power both as a celebration of an important anniversary for part of Audi, and a way for the apprentices to learn how to work on cars.

The anniversary in question is the 150th of NSU, one of the brands that became part of the Audi that we know today. And Audi still operates in Neckarsulm, where the workshops that became NSU were founded in the late 1800s. Before it became part of Audi, NSU made cars and motorcycles, with one of the most famous being the rotary-powered Ro 80. The Prinz 4, on the other hand, was a fairly humble compact coupe that followed in the footsteps of the Beetle with a rear-mounted, air-cooled engine and rear-wheel drive. Of course it differed in that it used a roughly 600-cc inline-two-cylinder engine. It only made about 30 horsepower.

The modified NSU EP4 you see above is extremely different. It is technically a 1971 model, with emphasis on the "technically." The most prominent change is the electric motor. It's still in the back, powering the rear wheels, but it makes 236 horsepower. It actually comes from a 2020 E-Tron. The battery pack comes from a Q7 plug-in hybrid, and it's mounted in the nose, which would've originally been the cargo area. The chassis was thoroughly overhauled, too, apparently using a modified A1 floorpan, along with brakes and axles from the same modern compact Audi.

Obviously the styling has been changed, too. The car sits lower and has enormous fender flares. The front features new grilles for battery cooling, and the carbon fiber hood has a heat-extracting vent. At the rear, there are two huge wings, with the upper one mounted to the interior roll cage. The motor cover can also be propped open while driving for additional cooling, a nod to classic NSU race cars that did the same thing. The interior is pretty much gutted, but has the aforementioned roll cage, a set of Recaro sport seats and a screen for instruments and other information. And the whole thing is coated in a vivid black, white and electric lime color scheme.

Also impressive about the project is that it only started back in January, meaning the team of youngsters completed it in only about six months. According to Audi, the base car was a bit rusty, and when combining general restoration and repair with all the custom fabrication needed, the results are seriously impressive.

Naturally, this is just a one-off show car, so don't expect something on the market. That being said, the finished product looks mighty fun. We wouldn't mind seeing Audi or some other part of the VW group consider the idea of a sporty, rear-drive coupe with clean lines and proportions with a modest amount of power and maybe some affordability. Just in case anyone there is reading this.

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