Audi’s Neckarsulm factory is the current birthplace of the A6 and A8 sedans, but the production plant has a long history. It was once owned by NSU, a German manufacturer o bicycles, motorbikes, and then cars that got taken over by Volkswagen in 1969 and then merged with Auto Union to form Audi as we know it to this day. To celebrate the factory’s 150th anniversary, a group of Audi trainees at Neckarsulm created a quirky and creative project, repurposing a 1971 NSU Prinz 4L as a fully electric sports car. 

“We wanted to build a car that was not only fast and looked cool but also fit in with the 150th-anniversary celebrations at the site,” said Dean Scheuffler, an apprentice automotive mechatronics technician at Audi in Neckarsulm.

Body and paint specialist trainees took care of the car’s chassis and exterior. The new “Electric Prinz 4”, or EP4, now looks like a bonus car model you can unlock in a racing video game à la Forza Horizon, thanks to a modified floor pan adapted from an Audi A1 and a wider body painted in Suzuka Gray and Brilliant Black. The mechatronics technician trainees worked on the powertrain, battery, and chassis. Instead of the original 30 hp (22 kW) gasoline engine, the retromod Prinz now sports a 240 hp electric motor (176 kW). It comes straight from a 2020 Audi e-tron and is powered by the same battery used in the plug-in hybrid Audi Q7 TFSI e quattro.

“The project gave our apprentices a chance to work freely with different techniques and materials,” said Timo Engler, Head of Training for Vehicle Technology and Logistics. “For example, in addition to the electric drive, they used 3D printing, another future technology. Carbon fiber – familiar from motorsport – was also used for the front hood.”