The Sport Prinz was exhibited at the 1959 Paris Salon alongside the Prinz II on which it was based. Design was by Franco Scaglione at Bertone. This little coupe was given a 36bhp version of the 598cc twin cylinder engine. Production commenced at Bertone's plant in Italy in 1959 and ran until 1962. Simultaneously in Germany the coachbuilder Drauz who had previously built bodies for NSU from 1900 also was contracted to build the Sport Prinz and continued until 1967; they were bought by NSU in 1965. In 1964 the Wankel Spider was launched with a convertible body based on the Sport Prinz, but few panels are interchangeable. The Spider was given a 497.5cc single rotor Wankel engine producing 50bhp. The world's first Wankel-engined production car. 2375 NSU Wankel spiders were produced until 1967. This little NSU pioneered Wankel car development and led to the twin rotor NSU ro80.