NSU Ro 80 moto car and keys, 1973. Chassis no. 0831001542 registration no. LHW 80L. This model was the first car specifically designed to be run by the Wankel rotary engine.

In 196, the German automobile manufacturer NSU produced the Ro 80, the first car specifically designed to be run by the Wankel rotary engine. The smooth compact engine was expected to offer significant advantages over the conventional piston engine and it did receive some high praise from the motoring press, so much so that it was voted car of the year for 1968. It was complemented on its outstanding road handling, ride and high speed cruising, however fuel consumption let it down and it soon got a reputation for being unreliable. By 1970 most of the car’s problems had been resolved but due to a necessarily generous warranty policy and the damage to the car's reputation, sales were low. NSU discontinued the Ro 80 in 1977 and now only Mazda make cars with a Wankel engine.

Most car engines involve pistons that move up and down in a straight line. Wankel engines are a type of combustion engine where the pistons instead rotate, which can be transmitted directly to the car wheels rather than also needing a rotating crankshaft. This is beneficial as the pistons are always travelling in a continuous circle, rather than having to stop at the top and bottom and accelerating again in the opposite direction. Despite the appeal and benefits to this idea, only very few Wankel engines have ever successfully been used in cars.