In a way, this is the first salvo in a new chapter for the brand. The Nuvolari is the most potent production model they have made to date. We are talking 2.6 seconds to 62, with only 499 being made. You can expect to pay from about GBP 500,000 (some $687,000) for one, with left-hand drive examples arriving in 2027.
Audi doesn’t mince words when it comes to the stats. The Nuvolari has 1,001 PS on tap and a top speed over 217 mph. To put it in perspective, they say it is 2.2 seconds off the pace of a Porsche 918 to 124 mph, which it does in 6.8 seconds.
Don’t think of it as an R8 with a facelift, though. It is in a different league, both in spirit and cost. And while it is built on the same bones as the Lamborghini Temerario, CTO Rouven Mohr will tell you the way it drives is its own thing – more torquey, more put-together.
The hybrid heart and its numbers
You have a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 in the middle of it all, making 800 hp and willing to rev to 10,000 rpm. Backing it up are three 110 kW axial-flux motors from Yasa. A pair of oil-cooled ones are on the front, and you’ll find the other one between the engine and the box.
Here is a quick rundown of the key figures:
– 2.6s to 62 mph
– 124 mph in 6.8s
– 1,001 PS in total
– 217+ mph top end
– 7.3 kWh of battery
– 110 kW per motor (x3)
– 10,000 rpm V8 redline
There is a 7.3 kWh battery to draw from, which is almost twice as much as the Temerario. Quattro Predictive Ride is in charge of the torque, looking at your steering, yaw and grip to put the power where you want it.
Depending on whether you are on the street or the tarmac, there are five ways to set it up: E-Hybrid, Balanced, Dynamic, Dynamic+ and Track. Put it in Track mode and you can turn traction control right off if you like to be on the edge.
Aero and stopping power tuned for track use
When it comes to brakes, they have some F1 thinking in mind. The brake-by-wire setup and 420 mm ten-piston ceramic calipers up front are good for 2.8 megawatts of energy absorption. You can get as much as 0.3g of deceleration from regenerative braking on its own. To make sure you don’t have to worry about fade, we’ve put in a more capable cooling system that can shed up to 21 per cent more heat.
We’re not interested in putting on a show with the aero; there are no ostentatious wings here. We let the clean surfaces do the work. The aluminium blocks in the grille are set at their own angles to feed an S-duct – a bit of F1 thinking – for some front downforce. Then there’s the rear wing: it has three positions and in the one you want for high downforce, it will put over 400 kg on the car.
The Nuvolari is also the first Audi to be offered with forged centre-lock wheels in production. When you’re on track, the way the car puts power to the ground and comes to a stop is all about how well the active aero, torque and brakes are woven together.
Carbon-first in every way
This is the first time you’ll see a carbon-fibre skin on a production Audi. We use prepreg autoclave methods, the kind you find in top-tier racing, so we can put the strength where we need it and keep the weight down. The body is on an aluminium spaceframe and while Audi won’t put a number on the kerb weight, they will tell you it’s lighter than the Temerario’s 1,690 kg dry. It’s a reminder that it’s not just the engine that makes the Nuvolari quick and stable.
Under the watch of Massimo Frascella, the Nuvolari is the face of our new design. The grilles and trim are milled from aluminium, and even the rings on the back of the wing are machined from a solid piece and sit flush in the carbon. You’ll notice a Titanium finish too, something we’ve put on our F1 cars and the Concept C, and it’s a hint of what’s to come for the rest of the range.
A cockpit for the driver
Inside, if it doesn’t help you go faster, it’s not in the car. No cupholders, no wireless charging. You have a round virtual dial, some physical buttons on the wheel and a screen with an aluminium bezel. The idea is simple: hands on the wheel, eyes on the apex.
It was only in March 2025 that we gave the Nuvolari the green light. A small group of 30 or so put in 14 months to make it happen, in part to hit an EU7 homologation and to coincide with our F1 comeback.
What to expect
We have 499 of them to build and that’s it. There’s no word on a Spyder. You’ll be able to take delivery in early 2027, but only in left-hand drive and for about GBP 500,000 (or $687,000).
Here are the hard facts:
– 499 made, period
– LHD only
– From roughly GBP 500k
– First ones in your garage in 2027
– We haven’t assigned any build slots yet
Tazio Nuvolari was a legend in the 1930s for Auto Union, and this car is meant to be in his spirit: it wins on merit, not for the sake of it. If you like your Audis to be judged by how they handle a lap, this one is hard to beat.
