Audi has unveiled the EP4, a one-off electric car built by a team of its technology students. The base car is an NSU Prinz 4 coupe assembled in 1971 in the town of Neckarsulm. The restomod emerged from the same factory with a new chassis, a reimagined body and a new powertrain.
The factory used to belong to NSU, a vehicle manufacturer primarily known for its motorbikes that also produced the occasional affordable car. In 1969, Volkswagen merged multiple businesses into one, including NSU and Auto Union. The resulting company was given the name ‘Audi’, and NSU car sales ceased in 1973. As such, the Prinz 4 seen here was one of the later-produced examples before the company stopped functioning.
According to the students, the idea behind choosing the NSU car as a starting point was to highlight its connection to the Neckarsulm factory. The name EP4 stands for ‘Electric Prinz 4’.
In fact, only the upper body and the roof panels are original here. The rest of the body has been widened considerably using 3D-printed parts like the front bumper. The car also received a large rear wing attached to an internal roll cage. The chassis uses certain Audi A1 components, and the cabin benefits from Recaro Podium racing seats and track-focused dash gauges.
The NSU Prinz 4 had its engine at the rear end. The low-end two-cylinder mill worked on petrol and yielded a meager 30 PS (30 hp / 22 kW). The students replaced it with an e-motor of the 2020 Audi e-tron, endowing the car with 240 PS (237 hp / 177 kW). A Q7 Hybrid battery pack was put inside the frunk, where the original car held its fuel tank.
