Finally, after so many long months of inactivity here, comes news of a fresh ball of one-liter fun, TT style. It's a rebuilt & race-ready NSU TT, the project of Denver businessman and European auto enthusiast Per Eliasen. He's wanted one ever since his driving instructor told tales of campaigning an NSU on the local Danish circuits. Now, many years later, he's completed the the work of combing good parts from several well-used NSU Prinz 1000 sedans, circa 1970, and spicing it up with race parts from the Old Country.

The first track tests were a revelation, he says. These cars weighed only 1500 lbs when loaded with conveniences like seats, wipers glass windows and a heater. Stripping all those frills added lightness, but installing a full roll cage helped even the score. "Would you believe 95 horsepower at the wheels?" Per boasted, after a dyno test. "That's almost 100hp per liter." The NSU will compete in an under-two liter class, so it will be up against more powerful cars, but he believes his car's excellent mid/rear engine balance and lack of mass will allow him to brake later and take turns faster.

The car was unveiled at a meeting of the local Audi club in Denver last Saturday. He fired up the 1.1 liter engine for the crowd, running it from a lumpy idle to a roar. Eliasen hopes to take it racing in two weeks.

It's been a very long time since an NSU engine was heard on Denver's streets. Since 1986, possibly, when I parked my own for the last time. Music to my ears, surely, and it should soon be a warning to amateur racers to check over their shoulders...

I have photos to post, but eight years on this forum doesn't seem to give me the rights to post them here. What's up with that?