To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys' The Junkyard: The Rudi Klein Collection event, 26 October 2024.

• A remarkable one-off, rotary-engined show car
• Displayed by Pininfarina at the 1971 Turin and 1972 Brussels Motor Shows
• Based upon the NSU ro80, with Wankel engine and three-speed semi-automatic gearbox
• Fascinating construction with a sliding roof panel
• Unshown on American shores since 1995

Please note that this lot is titled as a 1967.

Based upon a later-production example of the Wankel rotary-engined NSU ro80, Pininfarina’s 2 Porte + 2 show car was based entirely on the original body structure of a factory sedan, with the sills reinforced to accommodate the new coachwork. As its name suggested, its interior was designed to accommodate two adults and two children, with the 2+2 configuration then all the rage in Europe—although, rather than two doors, it provided four, with the rear pair opening from the center. The fascinating design for the 2 Porte + 2 emphasized aerodynamics, with ventilation through large air intakes along the base of the windshield, and on the sides of the roof panels and doors. Much of the roof itself could be opened for ventilation, sliding backwards behind the rear window into a recess atop the trunk lid—thus allowing for a nearly convertible experience, while preserving almost all of the available luggage room.

Pininfarina’s equally innovative interior featured a dashboard arranged to place all instruments ergonomically in front of the driver, with adjustable visors to protect them from the glare of sunlight, and used extensive padding throughout to ensure passenger safety in a collision.

A Pininfarina press release for the 1972 Brussels International Motor Show recounted that the ro80 would be exhibited there after being shown “for the first time at the recent Turin Motor Show, where they obtained a large critics [sic] and public success.” It continued to attract attention following its show displays, most prominently appearing in a feature article in the August 1993 issue of Motor Klassik, and then at an NSU gathering in The Netherlands in 1994.

One of the last automobiles purchased by Rudi Klein for his collection, the 2 Porte + 2 was acquired from his longtime friend and fellow Mercedes-Benz trader, Thomas Taffet of Chatsworth, California, in 1995. Soon thereafter, following only one or two show appearances on the West Coast, the one-off NSU was supplied on a long-term loan to its corporate successor’s museum in Germany, where it has remained on exhibition until returning to the States for sale today. It remains in largely original condition and would be a most tempting acquisition for the enthusiast of unusual engineering, striking modern design—or both!To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/auctions/rk24/.