A new model normally takes a carmaker years. Audi needed 405 days — exactly the gap between the first sketch of the Nuvolari supercar and a prototype that could drive under its own power. One caveat is fair: that is not the full timeline of a production car. The machine shown is officially a pre-production prototype, and testing is still under way.
A dedicated team was assembled for the project — designers, engine specialists, aerodynamicists and chassis engineers pulling in one direction. And it was spread right across Europe. The body was put on a diet in Neckarsulm, the aerodynamics were honed in Ingolstadt, the suspension was dialled in southern Spain, the car was frozen in Lapland, and the speed runs took place at the Nardò proving ground.
Then the drivers of Audi's works Formula 1 team took over. Gabriel Bortoleto hammered the Nuvolari around Nardò, while Nico Hülkenberg worked at the company's proving ground in Neustadt an der Donau. The public premiere took place on 4 June 2026 in Antibes, after which the supercar ran the Monaco Grand Prix circuit.
Now the numbers this was all about. The hybrid system delivers 736 kW — 1001 PS, or 987 hp. Inside there is a four-litre V8 with two turbos and three electric motors. Zero to 100 km/h takes 2.6 seconds. Zero to 200 km/h takes 6.8. Top speed is beyond 350 km/h.
The battery, meanwhile, surprises in the opposite direction: just 7.3 kWh. For a plug-in hybrid that is tiny, and entirely deliberate. It is there to support the powertrain, not to carry the owner around without petrol. Although it depends how you look at it — the V8 is shared with the Lamborghini Temerario, yet the Italian makes do with 3.8 kWh.
The Nuvolari will be the first production Audi to follow the brand's new design philosophy and the first Audi supercar with a high-performance hybrid system. The run is capped at 499 cars, and that is final. European order books are due to open at the end of 2026, with deliveries scheduled for the first half of 2027. The price still has not been made official, but at the premiere Britain's evo spoke of a start around £500,000, while GTspirit named a figure close to €600,000.
One trophy is already in the cabinet. The Nuvolari was named Design of the Year at the British CAR Genius Awards.
Earlier, experts compared the Audi Q5 and Q7 crossovers.
