I’ve been behind the wheel of the fastest-ever Audi and after climbing into the prototype, car 000 of 499, I can safely say this is the most exciting Audi road car I’ve seen in years.
The Nuvolari looks way better in real life than it does in the official pictures. It’s sleeker, sexier and much more expensive-looking when you’re standing next to it, which is handy when the expected list price is £533,000.
Only 499 will be built, all left-hand drive, with around 20 initially expected to come to the UK. Audi says that could grow if demand is strong enough, and five UK buyers have already put their hands up.
A roofless Nuvolari Spyder is also being investigated after a senior Audi board member asked the team to look into it, although if that happens, production would be fewer than 50 cars.
The Nuvolari is Audi’s first proper hybrid supercar and the fastest production car in the company’s history. It mixes a mid-mounted 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 with three electric motors and a 7.3kWh battery for a total output of 987bhp. Audi claims 0-62mph in 2.6 seconds, 0-124mph in 6.8 seconds and a top speed of more than 217mph.
“With the Audi Nuvolari, we are accelerating technological progress,” said Gernot Döllner, Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi AG. “It shows what is possible when the focus is on technology, performance, and execution through teamwork — and when we achieve progress together.”
The car is named after Tazio Nuvolari, the Italian racing driver widely seen as one of motorsport’s all-time greats, but the design is pure modern Audi. The exterior paint colour, called Titanium, is shared with Audi’s Formula 1 car and it looks stunning. So does the carbon-fibre bodywork, while the contrasting anodised aluminium sections front and rear feel first-rate.
Exterior designer Stephan Fahr-Becker, or “Stevie” as he introduced himself, said the Nuvolari gave Audi the chance to do things it had never done before. “There’s a lot of things that we never did before that are only able to do because it’s handmade,” he said.
That handmade feel is everywhere, but in a very Audi way. The shut lines are superb, the doors close beautifully and the hidden handle is tucked into the black side blades, which are a neat nod to the iconic Audi R8 supercar. Fahr-Becker said designers are “always afraid of having door handles because [of how] they look, they destroy your side profile” before explaining how the team used the side blade to hide it neatly away.
The body is almost entirely carbon fibre, with only one section made from metal: a panel on the bonnet so the navigation aerial system can work properly. Audi has used real materials wherever possible, with Fahr-Becker saying: “We need to go back to original materials.”
Even the Audi rings are special. On the rear spoiler they are milled from solid metal and sit flush in the carbon fibre, almost like an inlay in a piece of fine furniture. Fahr-Becker said: “The Audi Ring’s front and back are milled out of solid aluminium,” then explained how Audi’s design chief Massimo Frascella had encouraged his team to find a way of integrating them into the carbon fibre of the rear wing.
Fahr-Becker revealed that there will be 61 Formula One edition Nuvolaris within the 499-car run. These cars will get subtle red colour inserts on the vanes on top of the car, while the rings inset into the carbon fibre on the rear wing will be anodised and red. Regarding the production run as a whole, Fahr-Becker said: “It will always have the Formula One colour.”
The overall look is fascinating. It is quite brutal in places, but there are beautiful details everywhere. Fahr-Becker described it as “almost like brutalist architecture” and said the team wanted “a futuristic car” without making it too fussy.
“We need to pay attention that we don’t lose the intellectuality of car designer by being too flashy,” he said. “So just have a simple, nice shape, this surface just twisting out of the light and that’s already enough to draw the attention.”
Inside, the Nuvolari is just as special. The front of the cabin and dashboard top is darker to reduce reflection and distractions, while the light and dark vertical split on the doors echoes Audi’s F1 car. Some of the metallic detailing is sensational, especially the electric door switch set inside a circular metal surround.
How the recessed instrument binnacle flows through from the shoulder line outside is a lovely touch. It is also surprisingly easy to get in and out of thanks to low sills and a scalloped lower dash area that makes swinging your legs in much easier than in many supercars.
Once you’re in, the driving position feels spot on. The steering wheel and pedals are perfectly positioned, the view forward is like looking at an IMAX cinema screen, and the controls feel easy to use. It’s minimalist, but not annoyingly so.
Audi says the Nuvolari uses active aerodynamics, including a deployable rear wing with three positions, plus a Formula 1-style Drag Reduction System (DRS) activated by a button on the steering wheel. At its most extreme, the car can generate more than 400kg of downforce.
“With the Audi Nuvolari, our entire team has once again demonstrated its technical expertise, innovative strength, and dedication,” said Rouven Mohr, CTO of Audi. “This is reflected not only in the vehicle’s performance and its Formula 1-inspired technologies, but also in the ability to transfer innovations quickly and precisely into a production vehicle.”
Asked about the possibility of a roofless version, Fahr-Becker said: “There’s actually a board member, or like a high board member from the family, who told us to investigate that, but it hasn’t been further investigated yet.”
If it did happen, it would be properly rare. “Probably yes, but it will be less than 50,” he said.
The Nuvolari isn’t a car that’s expected to make the company money, with Fahr-Becker telling us that they’d be happy if it broke even. Instead, this is a statement car expected to lift the entire Audi range, which is rapidly being reimagined by Massimo Frascella and his design team.
Coming during Audi’s first season in Formula 1, the Nuvolari feels like a road-going flag in the ground. It is brutal in parts, beautiful in others, and full of the sort of detail you only really appreciate when you are up close.
It’s also coming soon – and the first example of Audi’s new look that was previewed by 2025’s Concept C – a cheaper all-electric model that will arrive after the Nuvolari as a modern-day version of the Audi TT.
So, what’s my verdict on the Audi Nuvolari? Simple: Forget the Ferrari Luce – I’ve got a new lottery-winning car of choice.
