Audi Nuvolari revives a famous racing name with 1001PS hybrid power

It’s like an R8 but…

Looks like somebody in the design office broke out the set squares, right? To some, presumably those who willingly look twice at a Tesla Cybertruck, the Audi Nuvolari be a head-turning thing of beauty. To others, the styling is, erm, a tad divisive.

Is it actually a Lambo?

Both yes and definitely not. Many of the elements are drawn across from sister brand Lamborghini’s new Temerario, but being the parent company Audi has done a lot differently too. So, while the 4-litre biturbo V8 and accompanying trio of electric motors are essentially the same as you’d find in the Temerario, here they are tuned to produce 1001PS… because 1000PS isn’t enough. That’s 987bhp.

Sounds spicy

It certainly is. The engine alone has been tweaked to produce 800bhp of that outright grunt in a glorious nod to old-school supercar excess, with a 10,000rpm limit. It’s also got Audi’s Quattro four-wheel-drive architecture, now featuring torque vectoring via the motors and a brain-fryingly complex electrical stability system that features 3D sensors to work out what the car is doing and when. It’s ultra-advanced wizardry. The bodywork is also pure carbon and there’s not a piece of plastic anywhere, with all the grilles and vents forged from aluminium. That means a kerb weight of 1750kg and an eye-watering 0-62mph in 2.6sec – and 0-125mph in 6.8sec.

And it’s got a name!

An Audi rarity. Its cars are traditionally given letters and numbers or designated by their type – Quattro, Cabriolet, Coupé, e-tron, etc – but Audi has deviated from this before with some of its special projects. It presented us with both the Rosemeyer concept (a Bugatti Veyron forerunner) and Steppenwolf three-door compact crossover SUV in 2000. The Nuvolari title was first given to an Audi 5-litre grand tourer concept in 2003, and there was a TT Nuvolari Limited Edition for the Italian market in 2014, but this is the first true production car to bear the name of Auto Union’s star 1930s grand prix driver.

And the price?

It’s not been completely confirmed, but many reports suggest it’ll be in the region of £500,000-£530,000 and that only 499 examples will be made, with deliveries beginning next year. The fact Audi chose to launch this model just before the Monaco Grand Prix tells you all you need to know about its target audience. Expect a similarly controversially styled drop-top too.