The motorcycle-born car that helped an astronaut fund his children's college

Nature · Published 20 October 2026 · Updated 21 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In the 1960s, a small German car with a noisy, air-cooled engine achieved something remarkable. While other astronauts chose flashy sports cars, one chose the NSU Prinz for its extreme fuel economy, using the savings to build a college fund for his kids.

The NSU Prinz was born from a necessity of the post-war era. As German motorcycle demand plummeted because riders wanted weather protection, NSU Motorenwerke AG pivoted to affordable cars. The Prinz I debuted in 1958, featuring a 600 cc two-cylinder air-cooled engine. This powerplant was a direct descendant of NSU's motorcycle expertise, utilizing an eccentric rod-driven camshaft and a 'dynastart' that functioned as both a starter and a flywheel.

The car's engineering was defined by simplicity and longevity. The engine, gearbox, and final drive operated as a single chamber lubricated by a single oil filler, requiring only two grease nipples for maintenance. While it was famously noisy, its fuel efficiency was a major selling point. This practicality was so high that astronaut John Glenn chose a Prinz 1 as his daily driver over a Chevrolet Corvette, opting for the Prinz's superior mileage to save money on his long commute.

The Prinz lineage expanded rapidly, branching into various niches. The Sport Prinz, designed by Franco Scaglione at Bertone, became a 2-seater coupe, while the Prinz 4 introduced a body resembling the Chevrolet Corvair. By the 1960s, the line evolved into the NSU 1000 and 1200 models, which featured advanced overhead-cam engines. However, the era of the small Prinz ended in 1973 when Volkswagen, which had acquired NSU in 1969, phased them out to prioritize larger, more profitable Audi models.

Beyond Germany, the Prinz became a global traveler. It was manufactured under license in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, and Argentina. It even inspired the Ramses, the first car produced in Egypt, which was manufactured in a factory located right next to the Great Pyramids.

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