Shock new Audi Nuvolari supercar: R8 successor caught testing for the first time
Audi is wasting no time fine-tuning its bold Lamborghini-based flagship, with the first Nurburgring laps already under its belt
The Audi Nuvolari – the brand’s bold new plug-in hybrid supercar and successor to the legendary R8 – was revealed only last week, but already we’ve caught the car undergoing validation testing at the Nurburgring race track in Germany.
Despite the camouflage wrap, there’s no disguising the Nuvolari’s dramatic proportions, with its wedge-like shape and bluff front end clear to see. The tall rear end and high-mounted central tailpipes give the car a dramatic appearance from the back, complemented by the thin, strip-like LED lights and retractable spoiler.
We’ve no video footage at this stage, but even from the static images we can get a decent sense of speed. Shot going through a fast left-hander, the Nuvolari’s low roofline and favourable centre of gravity amount to very little body roll, with the wide-section front and rear tyres and all-wheel-drive system allowing the car to hold on at high speed.
The Nuvolari is a brand-new near-1,000bhp hybrid supercar named after legendary driver Tazio Nuvolari, who raced for Auto Union in the 1930s. This mid-engined model will act as a halo car for the Audi brand as it continues its transformation under new leadership. And this is no concept car, but a limited-run road-going model that’ll start reaching customers in the first half of 2027.
The new supercar will be limited to just 499 units and should cost around £500,000, so while it has a similar role to play, it won’t be a direct replacement for the Audi R8. Instead the Nuvolari is targeting Ferrari, McLaren – and sister brand Lamborghini – with much more ambitious engineering.
We highlight Lamborghini because, as you might expect, the Nuvolari draws lots of its technology and the general technical layout from the latest Temerario. In fact, as part of a corporate shake-up, Audi has also brought over Lamborghini’s former chief technical officer, Rouven Mohr, to head up new vehicle development. That will align these two models under the skin, although the Audi is both more powerful and even more expensive.
Speaking at the car’s reveal, Mohr said: “The Nuvolari is the first supercar from Audi with a high-performance hybrid powertrain, and it sets new standards with its aerodynamics and the world's first quattro predictive ride.”
What’s under the skin of Audi’s Nuvolari?
Audi has leaned into its expertise in aluminium spaceframe technology with the Nuvolari, clothing this core structural material with a carbon-fibre skin. In a mid-engined layout is a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 engine, paired with three electric motors to help boost the overall maximum power output to 986bhp.
The V8 engine is responsible for the majority of that combined figure, producing 788bhp and 730Nm on its own. Rather than a familiar Audi unit, the engine is borrowed from Lamborghini and features motorsport-derived technologies such as a flat-plane crank, which help it reach up to 10,000rpm. It’s also been designed in such a way that it needs its hybrid elements in order to perform effectively, with the three axial flux motors filling in the car’s torque band at low rpm.
These e-motors are laid out in the same fashion as in the Audi’s Lamborghini cousin, with two motors mounted on the front axle and one between the engine and eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox. As in the Temerario, each of these motors can produce up to 147bhp, and they’re fed from a larger 7.3kWh battery that sits between the driver and passenger.
However, while the petrol and electric motors all produce the same individual figures as the Lamborghini’s, Audi’s battery is able to deliver more of the electric power to the wheels, explaining the 90bhp combined power increase for the Nuvolari over the Temerario.
In the Audi, there’s no physical connection between the front and rear axles, and its batteries can be charged either by plugging into the mains, or through the car’s regenerative braking. The company hasn’t mentioned an electric range figure, but it should be slightly more than the Lambo’s 10 miles or so thanks to the increase in capacity.
The results are some world-class performance figures, with 0-62mph taking just 2.6 seconds and 0-124mph 6.8 seconds; the top speed is limited to 217mph. These figures pip the Lamborghini Temerario’s, because with no V12-powered Revuelto above the Nuvolari in the line-up to worry about getting in the way of, Audi has been able to make full use of the new powertrain.
While the two cars’ hardware is very similar, Audi has been working on something for itself called Quattro Predictive Ride. This is a powertrain-management system that will read road data from various sensors across the car to actively predict how and where to apply power, and from which over and above Lamborghini’s sister system, using predictive data that Rouven says ‘is more machine learning than AI’.
As with most modern supercars, the car’s characteristics are completely variable depending on which of the five drive modes is chosen. ‘E-Hybrid’ will run the car in all-electric mode, and only fire the engine if the batteries run out of charge. Normal driving will be served by ‘Balanced’, with ‘Dynamic’ and ‘Dynamic +’ all turning the wick up slowly in turn. At the top of the tree is a ‘Track’ mode; this will deploy full power wherever possible, and includes the ability to finely control the traction control’s intervention.
Audi Nuvolari design and aerodynamics
Audi is keen to point out that this is the first road car to feature the marque’s new design language, which was first seen on the Concept C. However, the Nuvolari takes more inspiration from its Formula One motorsport program, with extra openings and vents to help keep the V8 engine cool, plus more movable aero parts to help deliver up to 400kg of downforce.
That wing is fully retractable, and when deployed can run in a variety of modes. Inspiration from Audi’s F1 racer is also on full display, with a DRS (drag reduction system) mode for the wing, plus a Boost button to give the full beans regardless of the car’s current driving mode.
However, the ethos of Audi’s new design language hasn’t been lost. The price might be high, but elements including the front grille and rear fascia are all made from solid aluminium. The forged wheels feature Porsche-like centre-locks, and are staggered 20 and 21-inch designs, with the rear slats reversed to allow air to enter the engine bay.
This is also an example of Audi’s new trademark colour, Titanium, which was previously seen on the Concept C and its F1 racer. Expect this to be a constant in the brand’s new design era, but customers will have a range of customisation options, including an all-carbon-fibre finish.
The cabin has a simple and clean layout, but despite the brand’s decision to re-introduce physical controls into its models, most key functions are operated through a portrait-style screen. Material quality is extremely high, with milled and brushed aluminium used for almost all the interior’s hard components.
Audi Nuvolari spy pictures and testing
It’s unusual to first catch a car testing after it’s been revealed, but the reason why is simple: until now, the brand’s new-age supercar has been disguised as a Lamborghini. This successfully averted any suspicion that Audi was developing a new flagship – allowing the maker to keep the car a secret until its big reveal ahead of the 2026 Monaco F1 Grand Prix.
These first spy pictures show the Nuvolari’s production bodywork, covered in a camouflage wrap. There’s no hiding the car’s dramatic proportions, including its Lamborghini-inspired rear end. The near-vertical grille panel, slim lighting and huge air ducts are all present and correct, as are the angular door mirrors, which look to be taken straight from its Temerario sister car.
The images show the car running on a set of mismatched wheels, while at the back there’s still some work to do to hide the prototype's unfinished trim and makeshift exhaust system. The active rear spoiler looks to be functional, however, which due to the car’s speed is raised in these pictures.
It’s likely we’ll see the Nuvolari testing again over the next few weeks and months, as Audi gears up for the car’s dynamic launch. With just 499 set to be built, chances are if you want one, you’re already too late…
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