New Audi Nuvolari is a 1001PS hybrid supercar

• Priced from £500,000 and limited to 499 units

• Nuvolari acts as technology north star for Audi brand

• High-performance hybrid offers 1001PS and over 217mph top speed

• Rivals Lamborghini Temarario and Ferrari SF90

The new Audi Nuvolari has been revealed as the fastest and most powerful road car in the company's history. The 1001PS hybrid supercar can accelerate from 0-62mph in 2.6 seconds and exceed 217mph, with just 499 examples set to be built.

Named after Italian racing driver Tazio Nuvolari, the two-seat supercar uses technology from Audi-owned Lamborghini, combining a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 with three electric motors. Prices haven't officially been announced, but are expected to start at around £500,000, with first deliveries due in the first half of 2027.

The Nuvolari also has a wider role as a technology showcase for Audi, arriving alongside the company's new Formula 1 programme and introducing technology and development methods intended to filter down to future road cars. Audi says the Nuvolari went from its first design sketch to a running prototype in just 405 days.

Audi Nuvolari price and release date

Audi hasn’t publicly announced prices for the Nuvolari, but a ‘starting-from’ figure of around £500,000 has been suggested, with buyers then encouraged to work closely with the firm’s designers to personalise their cars inside and out.

Unlike the R8, which was priced closer to a Porsche 911 and sold at higher volumes, the Nuvolari is strictly limited to 499 units worldwide, with the higher price required so that the car still turns a profit. The first production models will be built at the start of 2027, with first deliveries expected by the middle of the year. The UK’s allocation is already sold out.

Audi Nuvolari engines, performance and fuel economy

The Nuvolari features a hybrid powertrain based around a mid-mounted twin-turbo 4.0 V8 that develops 800PS. This is boosted by three axial flux electric motors, each producing 150PS, powered by a 7.3kWh battery. Two motors are located on the front axle and one is sandwiched between the engine and gearbox.

Total power output is 1001PS, with the Nuvolari completing the 0-62mph sprint in 2.6 seconds, 0-124mph in 6.8 seconds and top speed being quoted as in excess of 217mph.

To make best use of the power, the Nuvolari features Quattro predictive ride. This feeds sensor data for things like steering angle, acceleration, current grip level and more into a model that is then used to continuously adjust the car’s behaviour as one. The car’s motors vector torque, brakes control slip and active aerodynamics adjust all at the same time to ensure the car corners and handles as safely and quickly as possible.

The system’s responses can be changed, too, via four different drive modes from fully electric E-Hybrid, through Balanced for everyday driving to Dynamic and Dynamic+. There's also a fifth Track mode that lets you select the traction control intervention depending on the weather, or turn it off.

Braking is by-wire and handled by ten-piston calipers which clamp 420mm carbon-ceramic discs up front, while there are four-piston calipers and 410mm discs at the rear. Audi claims the Nuvolari has braking power on a par with its F1 car.

Audi Nuvolari design, interior and space

Amongst all the high-performance firsts, the Nuvolari is also the first production car to feature Audi’s new design philosophy. This encourages simple, clean surfaces and hidden tech, like the car’s S-duct, which guides air through the front and up over the car to improve front downforce, and an active rear wing which does the same at the rear.

Graphic elements include a much smaller front grille and subtle nods to the R8’s black carbon sideblades. The Nuvolari is also the first Audi to feature a carbon body. Exposed carbon is an option, while the first car is painted in Titanium, which is Audi’s new signature colour, as-used on the F1 cars.

The interior has been designed to ensure focus is fully on the act of driving. That means reduced clutter, and digital displays that are intended to be used in a simple, consistent and logical way.

Up front, the interior is finished in dark colours, again to promote concentration, while the rear of the interior is a lighter tone. Luggage space is limited to whatever you can fit behind the seats, and, on a further practical note, all Audi Nuvolari models are left-hand drive only.

Audi Nuvolari technology, equipment and infotainment

Infotainment tech has been stripped back in the pursuit of a focus on the drive. Digital dials are present and correct, as is a centrally mounted screen, but Audi is more at pains to mention tactile things like the car’s anodised aluminium air vents than touchscreen tech.

The firm is keen to state that the Nuvolari has been created to act as a technology north star for the brand. That means that as well as incorporating a whole host of F1-inspired performance and material technology, the way the Nuvolari has been developed is also intended to trickle down to the firm’s regular models.

The Nuvolari took 405 days from first sketch to the first prototype turning a wheel. Audi has already been busy trimming development times, most recently chopping 21 months from the gestation of its new A2 e-tron.

Audi Nuvolari trim levels

The Nuvolari is sold in just one trim, and that’s limited to 499 units. However, as with the R8, a convertible Spyder version is likely to follow. Audi states that it plans to offer customers an up close and personal service, matching buyers with members of its design team as they choose the look and feel of their car, inside and out.

Audi Nuvolari rivals and used alternatives

Given the price and rarity of a car like the Nuvolari, the idea of rivals takes on a different meaning. Unlike the previous R8, which was more of an everyday supercar and rival for the Porsche 911, the Nuvolari is an exclusive model for wealthy car enthusiasts to add to their collections.

A Ferrari SF90 is similarly priced, a Bugatti Veyron has the same power output and a Porsche 918 Spyder is a match for the maximum speed. Chances are, Nuvolaris will be sharing the same garage as all three.