Thurner RS - sport coupe body - manufactured in 1971

Like so many cars the Thurner RS was born out of enthusiasm. This German lightweight sportscar was developed in the late 1960s by insurance agent Rudolf Thurner and bodywork specialist Kohlmus and was strongly influenced by the design of the Porsche 904 GTS. Before the development work was finished Thurner and Kohlmus had a disagreement and both put their own version on the market in 1969. Kohlmus introduced the Scirocco, a well-build car which wasn't very pleasing to the eye, and Thurner the RS, which had better looks. Both cars featured gull wing doors, reminding of the Mercedes 300 SL from more than a decade before, a fibreglass body on a steel tube frame and the chassis and engine of the NSU 1200 TT. The Kohlmus Scirocco didn't met with much success however; some 48 were made and the car was soon forgotten after that.
The Thurner RS struck more of a nerve. It was an affordable sportscar with dramatic looks and a solid presentation which found a select group of customers which cherished these rapid cars. The RS weighed only 610 kg and the air-cooled 4-cylinder 1,177 cc NSU engine in the rear offered 65 hp @ 5500 rpm in standard trim, which was good for a maximum speed of 180 kph and a 0 to 100 kph acceleration in 11 seconds. Customers who liked to go faster could order 80 and 110 hp versions and there even was a 125 hp racing version which was tuned by Abt and featured a fuel injection system.
Thurner offered these cars up to 1974 but since NSU had ceased making the engine and chassis in 1973 production had to come to an end. In total 121 Thurner RS were manufactured. There were some attempts to make a successor based on Volkswagen and Porsche parts, but these failed and so did the Thurner company.

Remarkably the appeal and quality of the Thurner RS was such that its reputation was raised beyond that of a limited production kit-car and it found a proper place in the car history books and in the hearts of NSU-enthusiasts. Many of the manufactured Thurners survived and though not very well known their owners spend a lot of time and money to keep them in good shape. Rudolf Thurner's dreamcar made a small but lasting impression on the world of car lovers which is an inspiring accomplishment.

© André Ritzinger, Amsterdam, Holland

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