Audi brings back a classic to celebrate 150 years at the Neckarsulm factory. This little car was never an Audi but now has an EV power plant.
Electric restomods aren’t a new concept, but one company making these isn’t a traditional automaker. The Audi name resonates worldwide as one of the top German luxury brands, but the car made to celebrate more than 150 years at the Neckarsulm plant was never made under the four-ring logo. This makes it an interesting choice, but one that was a popular product coming out of this long-used plant in Germany.
What’s so special about this factory?
If you know even a little of the history of Audi, you know that the four rings on the logo represent each of the auto brands that came together to form Auto Union, which eventually became Audi. Before Volkswagen took over the Neckarsulm factory, the company was called NSU and produced many products, including bicycles, motorcycles, and cars. There was a point in time when the NSU brand was the biggest motorcycle manufacturer in the world. This company also made a name for itself by selling the first-ever passenger car powered by a Wankel engine.
The NSU brand is more recent than you might think
Although 1973 is now 50 years in the past, it seems like only a short time ago in the automotive world. The Audi name has been around for over a century, but the NSU name merged with Auto Unition in 1969, which was when Volkswagen brought the Audi name back to life. Four years later, the final NSU-branded car was sold. This is the car being used as the new Audi EV model that has been restomoded for the 150-year celebration. This car is called the NSU Prinz 4.
The Prinz 4 never wore the Audi name
Audi could have chosen any model to celebrate the history of the Neckarsulm factory, but it’s a fitting tribute to choose a vehicle that bore the NSU name. The NSU Prinz 4 was a compact two-door sedan powered by a rear-mounted air-cooled two-cylinder engine. This small engine delivered 30 horsepower, which made sense in a car that came from a motorcycle company. Audi chose a 1971 version of the Prinz 4 to add modern qualities and showcase the celebration of 150 years of building products at this amazing factory in Germany.
Let the transformation begin
Audi chose to make the upgrades to this little EV more interesting than simply giving it to the already trained engineers to get the job done. Instead, the Prinz 4L was put in the hands of a team of 12 trainees to make an electric car out of a classic two-cylinder sedan for this celebration. When the job was done, only part of the original car made it to the final product, but you can still see the original model in this restomod. The goal was to create an EV out of this small car, which the team did.
The team of trainees pulled out the old two-cylinder engine and gave this little car a 240-horsepoewr electric motor from a 2020 Audi e-tron. The battery pack for this new EV came from a PHEV Audi Q7 e-quattro, which gives this little car more than enough juice for a great drive.
More upgrades to create a new EV
This new electric restomod received the project name EP4 which stands for “Electric Prinz 4.” In addition to the powertrain changes, EP4 received a modified Audi A1 floor pan, including the brakes and axles, to take the place of the original car. The body was altered to ensure it would fit this new build. Inside, this car received a roll cage with a large rear spoiler bolted to it. This means the spoiler goes through the rear window to attach to the roll cage.
This new Audi EV was painted Suzuka Gray and Brilliant Black with Signal Yellow as an accent color.
Looking inside, the cabin of EP4 is as bare-bones as you can make a car today. There’s a single-board computer handling the instrumentation and displays, a pair of Recaro Podium bucket seats, and a roll cage painted in Signal Yellow.
The new EP4 is an aggressive, small Audi EV that was never actually an Audi. This little car is a fitting way to celebrate the 150-year anniversary of the Neckarsulm factory. Today, this factory produces the A6 and A8 sedans, continuing the tradition of excellence built into the heritage of the factory.
This post may contain affiliate links. Meaning a commission is given should you decide to make a purchase through these links, at no cost to you. All products shown are researched and tested to give an accurate review for you.