CAROFTHE
YEARCARCAR
NSU Ro80 Sold/no built 1967-‘7 7/37,402 Engine iron-block, twin-rotor 995cc Wankel, twotwin-chokeSolexcarbs; 113.5bhp @ 5500rpm; 117lb ft @ 4500rpm
Transmission three-speed semi-auto, FWD Weight 2632lb (1196kg) Mpg 15-23 0-60mph 12.6secs Topspeed 113mph
Price new £2444 (1970) Price now £6500-21,000
RENAULT16 Sold/no built 1965-’80/1,851,502(all) Engine all-allo y, ohv1470cc ‘four’, single Solexcarburettor; 59bhp @ 5000rpm;
78lb ft @ 2800rpm Transmission four-speed manual, FWD
Weight 2161lb (980kg) Mpg 32 0-60mph 16.9 secs Topspeed 88mph
Price new £919 (1966) Price now £4500-9000
ROVER 2000 Sold/no built 1963-‘73/208,875 Engine iron-block, alloy-head, sohc 1978cc
‘four’, single SU carburettor; 89bhp @
5000rpm; 108lb ft @ 2500rpm Transmission four-speed manual, RWD Weight 2760lb (1252kg) Mpg 22-29 0-60mph 14.6 secs Topspeed 104mph
Price new £1264 9s 7d Price now £4500-10,000
Body roll is prodigious in all, but the NSU (top)grips tenaciously and all feel refined forc60-year-old designs
1960swildcard
JAGUAR XJ6 Howcould theyhavemissed this one? After the XJ waslaunched to great fanfare in September 1968,itdidn’t even make that year’s CotYpodium, with the worthy but unremarkable Fiat 125 and Simca 1100
rankingbelowthe winningNSU Ro80. But the Jagshould have been there: it embraced CotY’score criteria, offeringan exceptional ride/handlingbalance from its all-independent suspension, refined with anti-divegeometr y. TheXK‘six’ saw service again, in 2.8- and 4.2-litre guises, and the XJ6 received rave reviews. It was even great value–another CotY tenet.
reservations:“It felt quite old in andaround everything else here, by some margin.”Steve agrees and, while he relishes areturn to Renault ʼs olden days –enthusing about the R16 ʼs “throne-likeseats” and“cheery demeanour”–hefeels thatthe modelwas representative of Renault ʼs challenges at thetime:“It had to try harder with successive models to cover the strengths of moreconventional rivals .”
1960srankings
1st NSURo80 2nd Renault 16 3rd Rover2000
the cubic capacity,thankstoits combustion characteristics), as well as fewermoving parts (nocamsorvalves) andlighter weight.This wasmated to a Fichtel&Sachs three-speed semi-automatic transmission, with clever clutchoperation viaamicroswitchatopthe gearlever.The NSUʼschassis wasequally advanced, with all-round independent suspension,four-wheeldisc brakes–inboard at the fronttoreduceunsprung weight–and power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering.
And ʻconventionalʼ is certainlynotaword youwould use to describe ourfinal ʼ60s CotY contender,the NSURo80.AsRay pointsout, it is one of the fewʻfuturisticʼ cars to have won the contest, butultimately neverfulfilledits high-techpromise due to well-documented reliability issues andpoorfuel consumption. Yetitreceived CotY ʼs 1968gong, beating the Fiat 125 andSimca 1100, andwowed the judges with its twin-rotor Wankel rotaryengine, sophisticated semi-automatic gearboxand advanced front-wheel-drive chassis.
On the face of it, the Ro80ʼsengine offered so much:arelatively high114bhp output from what wasessentiallyasub-1-litredisplacement (but equivalenttoafour-strokeunit with twice
Phil Blake ʼs late-modelRo80 (built twoyears before production ceased in 1977) is clearly captivating ourjudgesfromthe off.“Itsclever clutchworks beautifull y,”remarks Ra y, “and the styling showsawareness of aerodynamic efficiency.” Steveagrees: “Itʼshardtobelieve this carisasold asitis; some of the styling features would engage designerstoday.” All agreewith Matt ʼs commentabout the ride – “verysophisticated”–though Stevenotes how much the engine asks of the driver: “You have to rev it, always .” ButMattsums up the Ro80 best:“Arealsmoothie withalot of charm.” Whichiswhy it ʼs ourfirst C&SC CotY finalist.
February2024 Classic&Sports Car 81
