NSU Quickly

Key facts

Year

1958
Country

Germany
Capacity

49cc
Cylinders

1 cylinder
Valves

2 stroke
Output

1.4bhp at 5,200rpm
Performance

35mph
Price new

£61
Owner

National Motor Museum Trust
Manufacturer

NSU Motorenwerke AG, Neckarsulm

Mopeds, essentially bicycles with engines, provided cheap personal transport for many in the 1950s and 1960s. NSU, famous for its racing and record breaking bikes, introduced the Quickly in 1953. Over the next ten years more than a million were built to various specifications. The pressed steel frame was both sturdy and easy to mass produce. Quicklys went on sale in Britain in late 1954, distributed at first by NSU’s UK partner Vincent. This is the basic model, the two-speed Quickly N.

In 1957 NSU started making cars again after a gap of nearly 30 years. Motorcycle production ended in 1965. NSU was absorbed by Volkswagen in 1969 and merged with Audi.