NSU Prinz Centocelle

grabcad

In the seventies in Rome, there was a car circulating (when it managed to start) that was considered a real curse. Whenever a Prinz passed among friends or was seen parked, with its dull pastel colors, it instantly triggered an apotropaic ritual of "passing the Prinz," touching the nearest friend while declaiming "yours the Prinz, yours the Prinz!" hoping to ward off whatever malevolent influence. I never delved into the matter, but it seems to have stemmed from its poor reliability and less-than-attractive appearance, with its square, low, stubby shape and those tiny little wheels.Conceived and produced by NSU, a German automaker, this car evolved over the years in various versions with the aim of offering an alternative to the small utility cars of the time, with an air-cooled rear engine, like the Fiat 600. It's said that its final version, the NSU Prinz 4 (typ 47), signed by the same designer as the previous models, Claus Luthe, was openly inspired by a car, the Chevrolet Corvair, which at that time was a source of fascination for many car designers.I wanted to challenge this ugly thing to see if, with the right adjustments, it could emerge from its unfortunate past with more dignity. Or at least I tried...