Audi’s L-platers infuse electric dream into 1971 classic

Twelve apprentices from Audi’s automotive mechatronics, bodywork, vehicle construction and painting courses have transformed a 50-year-old classic into a modern electric car.

To mark the 150th anniversary of the NSU brand, apprentices from Audi Neckarsulm unveil an NSU Prinz they have converted into an electric car.

Audi’s past, present and future have collided to produce a stunning one-off creation, turning a classic car from more than 50 years ago into a modern, and very cool-looking electric vehicle.

Dubbed the NSU EP4, this EV is a celebration of the brand’s heritage while acknowledging its transition to an electric future.

A team of Audi trainees converted a 1971 NSU Prinz 4 into the EP4, switching its petrol engine for a new electric drive train.

The project was created to mark the 150th anniversary of Audi’s factory site at Neckarsulm, which builds the A4, A5 Cabriolet, A6, A7 and A8 models.

Audi’s apprentices have reimagined a classic car from 50 years ago and transformed it into a modern electric vehicle

The location was the original home of the NSU Motorenwerke, which later came under the control of Volkswagen Group and merged with the company we know today as Audi. It was famous for making motorcycles and small cars, such as the Prinz series.

The original Prinz 4 was launched in 1961 as a follow-up to the brand’s first post-war model, the Prinz 1 – German for “prince”. It was powered by a 598cc two-cylinder engine mounted in the rear of the car and paired with a four-speed manual transmission. It was, in many respects, a German rival to the popular Mini.

Taking an example built in 1971 but neglected for decades, a team of 12 apprentices from Audi’s automotive mechatronics, bodywork, vehicle construction and painting courses worked together to not only revive it but reimagine this Prince.

The NSU Prinz as it looked originally (left) and after its transformation (right) at the hands of creative Audi apprentices

After fixing the rusty body, the petrol engine was removed and replaced by the electric motor from a 2020 Audi e-tron. This meant a dramatic increase in performance, leaping from the original 22kW offered by the old two-cylinder to a more potent 176kW. It also inspired the new name, with the E standing for electric and the P4 for Prinz 4.

The motor is connected to a battery taken from a plug-in hybrid Q7 TFSI e quattro, which is installed under the bonnet, where the fuel tank was in the original car.

To cope with the hugely upgraded performance, the apprentices made some racing-inspired improvements, with flared wheel arches and even an aerodynamic wing, which is attached to the roll cage inside the car and not the bodywork itself.

The NSU Prinz, after its conversion into an electric car

Inside, there’s a simplified cabin, with just a single racing-style seat and a digital dashboard.

Timo Engler, Audi’s head of training vehicle technology/logistics, says the project allowed the apprentices the opportunity to work without any restrictions to push their creative and technical skills.

“For example, in addition to the electric drive, they used 3D printing, a second technology of the future,” Engler says. “Carbon fibre – familiar from motorsport – was also used for the front hood.

“In the case of EP4, the vision and deadline were very ambitious. It’s great to see how the junior staff have grown with their task and what a leap in development they have made as a team.”