Audi has at last revealed its most audacious road car to date. The Nuvolari is a limited-run supercar that, with its Formula 1 pedigree hybrid powertrain, active aero and carbon-heavy chassis, stands as the most potent production vehicle in the company’s history.
You will only be able to find 499 of them in the world when they come off the line in the first half of 2027. With over 987 horsepower on tap and a top speed of more than 217 mph, the Nuvolari is Audi’s answer to the ultra-exclusive hybrid segment.
The numbers are hard to argue with. Audi puts the Nuvolari in hypercar territory with a 0-62 mph time of 2.6 seconds and 124 mph in 6.8. That kind of performance comes from a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 mated to three electric motors. The V8 by itself makes 789 hp; add in the two front-mounted electric motors and a third between the engine and gearbox and you have the full 987. Much of this technology has been co-opted from Audi’s F1 program, which is why the V8 can rev to 10,000 rpm, something you would normally expect to see in a race engine.
Then there is the new quattro predictive ride all-wheel drive. Rather than simply reacting to conditions like older systems, it is constantly reading your steering, yaw rate and grip to pre-emptively manage torque and braking before you even lose traction. There are E-Hybrid, Balanced and Dynamic modes for the road, or a Track Mode if you want to fine tune the traction control.
Weight was an issue with the hybrid hardware, so Audi has been sparing with it. They have put together a new Audi Space Frame and covered it in a carbon-fiber exterior; in fact, nearly every body panel is carbon fiber reinforced polymer using manufacturing methods straight out of F1. Active aerodynamics keep the balance in check, and the deployable rear wing has a DRS system of the F1 variety. In the right conditions you can get in excess of 880 pounds of downforce.
Braking is another area where the F1 influence shows. The new brake-by-wire system uses 10-piston calipers on 420-mm rotors up front and four-pistoners at the rear to work in tandem with regenerative braking. Audi says it can soak up 2.8 megawatts of energy, on par with a modern F1 car.
Step inside and you will find a cockpit that is as uncluttered as it is driver-oriented. You have physical controls at hand, anodized aluminum and light carbon-backed seats. The colouring is a nod to the Auto Union racers of the 1930s, tying the car to its heritage.
It is fitting that the supercar bears the name of Tazio Nuvolari, the Italian racing icon. Audi says the moniker suits the car’s no-nonsense approach to performance and innovation. We do not yet have a price tag, but when deliveries start in 2027 the Nuvolari will be at the very apex of the range, and with such low numbers planned, one of the rarest Audis ever made.
