I am sure that we all know that Mazda are the great exponents of the rotary or “Wankel” engine (named after the guy who invented it). Mazda have spent years and huge amounts of money in solving the inherent sealing problems that come with such an engine, so it is only right that they should experience a payback in the form of success for their sportscars powered by the most amazing of combustion engines.

But they were not the first to back the idea. That honor belongs to a German company called NSU that took on the engine, became over-ambitious, and went broke as a result. Before they expired and were re-absorbed into Auto Union, they did produce a rotary-engined car that has become a classic - the Ro80.

The car was way ahead of its time and not all the difficulties of the Wankel engine had been solved when production began in 1967. Inevitably it suffered from reliability problems and soon gained an evil reputation therefore. Before that could happen it won the Car of the Year award for 1968 and awards for its design.

It is a pretty thing from certain angles but, in my opinion, looks a bit unbalanced from the side. And its similarity to the earlier Lancia Fulvia Zagato makes it underserving of too much praise.

But it was the engine that both made and broke the Ro80. Rotaries produce about three times as much power as an equivalent-sized piston engine and new uses for it are still being found today (click on the link and run the video). A wonderful car when running but needing engine rebuilds far too often, the Ro80 suffered the consequences of being first. By 1970 the problems had been cured but too late to counteract its reputation. It died with the company.

So the next time you leap into your Mazda RX-7 or 8 to have a bit of fun, spare a thought for the car that made it all possible - the NSU Ro80.