Audi is celebrating 150 years of manufacturing in Neckarsulm, which has grown from creating knitting machines to housing the assembly of the Audi A4, among other models. Audi’s trainees were asked to turn a 1971 NSU Prinz 4 into an electric sports car for the event. They made the square body longer and added modern features like LED lights. The trainees removed the two-cylinder engine and used a 240-hp Audi e-tron electric motor from a plug-in hybrid Q7 SUV. If you liked doing geeky science projects in school like us, you should wait until you see what 12 Audi trainees were just given to do. To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Audi plant in Neckarsulm, Germany, which started making knitting machines in 1873, a group of trainees was asked to create an electric restomod. The exciting result, the Audi EP4 concept, was shown off this past weekend. The 1971 NSU Prinz 4 used to start the project had been left behind for a long time. In 1969, Volkswagen bought the German company NSU and merged it with Auto Union to make the current Audi brand. The Prinz is the perfect blank surface for a happy reinterpretation because it was made in Neckarsulm between 1961 and 1973. The original Prinz still has a boxy shape and a strong waistline, but the details have changed significantly. The round headlights were replaced with oval LED bulbs, and the front bumper got a splitter and a significant intake that pulls air through a vent in the hood. The back wing sticks out from the back edge of the roof and is connected to the roll cage instead of the body. Branch supports go through the rear windshield. The Suzuka Grey paint makes the Signal Yellow stand out. In addition to fixing rust problems in the body and strengthening the 50-year-old frame, the trainees removed the original 30-hp two-cylinder gasoline engine from the back compartment. They replaced it with a 240-hp electric motor from a 2020 Audi e-tron. The battery balances the weight of the motor in the back of the car. It does this by being under the hood, where the gas tank used to be. The 17.9 kWh battery came from a plug-in hybrid Audi Q7 SUV, which the trainees got. As a result of having more power, some fundamental changes had to be made. The axles and brakes came from an Audi A1, and the more prominent fenders, which held the classic white wheels and sticky performance rubber, were 3D-printed. Also, you can open the trunk halfway to let cool air in and show off the electric motor. The EP4 idea has nothing to do with any current or future Audi models, but the prototype car is an excellent example of Audi’s young designers and engineers’ talent.
