If you lamented the demise of the Audi R8, this Nuvolari ought to perk you up a bit.
Over the past few years, we’ve been seeing Lamborghini marry both internal combustion and electric motors to create high-power, hybrid supercars. Now, Audi is once again getting its own Lambo-powered halo, thanks to the nearly 1,000-horsepower Nuvolari. That name, in case you’re unaware, nods to Italian motorcycle racer and racing driver Tazio Nuvolari. Audi last used that name for a 2003 concept, but this one will actually go into (limited) production.
Like the Lamborghini Temerario, the upcoming mid-engined Audi Nuvolari packs a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 as its heart. Alongside that 789-horsepower powerhouse, Audi’s sort of R8 successor gets three axial-flux electric motors. Working together, you get a total output of up to 987 horsepower (or 1,001 PS). Audi pegs this car’s top speed at “more than 350 km/h”, or 217 mph+. 0-62 mph acceleration time is equally snappy, at just 2.6 seconds.
The electric motors coupled to that V8 engine are powered by a 7.8-kWh (gross capacity) battery pack. Through the “E-Hybrid” drive mode, that does enable some urban-distance fully electric driving. Beyond that, though, the rotary controls on the steering wheel also offer up Dynamic and Dynamic+ drive mode, and a Balanced setting that switches between the V8 and the electric motors (or both) depending on what’s most efficient at any given moment.
At the front end, the 2027 Audi Nuvolari gets absolutely massive 16.5-inch long-fiber carbon brake rotors with ten-piston calipers, as well as 16.1-inch rotors and four-piston calipers out back. Speaking of the brakes, part of this car’s F1-inspired design brings a brake-by-wire system into contention, which can vary energy distribution between physical, hydraulic braking and recuperation for the hybrid system itself.
The exterior, for its part, is a far cry from the more rounded Audis of old. Here, you get an extremely angular carbon fiber body, forged aluminum center-lock wheels, and an “S-duct” up front that works with the active rear wing to generate as much as 882 pounds of downforce as is best suitable to the driving situation.
Looking inside the Audi Nuvolari
While I tend to look at Mercedes-AMG sports cars, for example, and say the interior is “pretty formulaic Mercedes”, that is not the case with this Nuvolari. Here, we don’t get screens galore and the same sort of squared-off steering wheel setup and switchgear as you’d find in any other modern Audi.
Here, we have a far more purposeful, concept-looking cabin design. The main focus is on those rotary controls to suit your driving environment just so including your drive mode and traction control settings, for example. Behind the wheel, you get a huge pair of shift paddles, and the center stack is pretty much just pared down to the absolute essentials. You get your start button, your hazard lights, your fuel door and your gear selector buttons. That’s it. Audi notes “the interior of the Nuvolari is fully focused on driving. The driver-centric approach prioritizes relevant information, while secondary content remains in the background.”
There are some color contrasts for what Audi deems different “zones” of the cabin. The front section has darker surfaces and accents to keep the driver focused on what’s ahead, and then lightens up as you move further back.
And if you thought the Polestar 4 was going to be the only production car with no rear window, think again. The 2027 Audi Nuvolari also has no rear glass to speak of, though you (obviously) get a rearview camera that’s hidden in the rear fascia below the high-mounted center-exit exhaust, with a digital mirror to help drivers actually see what’s behind.
While you could reasonably glean some elements of either the old R8 or, more directly, current Lamborghinis, Audi insists this is a dramatically different animal. It’s a fair point, because there’s really not much in this design that screams “nostalgia”. On the subject of screaming, I’m sure the 499 folks who will actually be able to buy a Nuvolari will appreciate the fact that it’s still packing a V8 (and a 10,000 RPM-capable V8, no less), and isn’t a pure EV. It’ll also sprint from 0-124 mph in 6.8 seconds. So, there’s also that.
Production for the 2027 Audi Nuvolari kicks off early next year. As for the price, we aren’t 100% sure as U.S. details are coming down the road. but you know how the saying goes. If you have to ask…you’ll probably have to leverage everything you own to still not come close to affording it. Estimated pricing for European customers is around 590,000 Euros, or roughly $686,000 at current exchange rates.
