Audi Nuvolari First Drive: High-Performance ArtTobias SagmeisterI was perhaps conspicuously quick in my response. I was certainly not very measured in my enthusiasm. I was riding right seat with Audi CEO Gernot Döllner as he slowly piloted the company's Nuvolari prototype supercar over a narrow winding private road near Carmel, California.I had about 15 minutes with the seemingly amiable Döllner, and at about the halfway point in our drive, I just blurted, "I'm very pleased to hear that. I love this!" We were talking about how the spare, unadorned design aesthetic of the Nuvolari would filter through the Audi line in the years to come.Tobias SagmeisterFirst comes the limited-edition, roughly $700,000 Nuvolari itself. Audi will deliver about 200 of them to European customers beginning in the first half of 2027. Then roughly 200 U.S. buyers will take delivery of their cars from the start of 2028. The remaining roughly 100 units will go to the Middle East and Asia, although not China.AdvertisementAdvertisementNext up with the new design language, dubbed Radical Next by Audi, is the production version of the Concept C. That salable EV sports coupe will appear next year. And for 2028, Radical Next will make it to the first big-volume vehicle in Audi's range, but we don't know what that will be yet.Tobias SagmeisterHaving only days before this ride and drive walked the lawn at the world's premier supercar and hypercar show, The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering, I can say with certainty that the Nuvolari is a standout design. It will be mistaken for no other vehicle ever. It has none of the stretched pointiness of most supercars. It looks like a solid ingot of material. Its proportions are balanced, and there is nothing to distract your eye from them. In photos, the Nuvolari's spare adornments and uninterrupted panels make it appear almost as if it's digitally rendered. In person, though, I was struck by its presence but also by its tremendously fine detailing.The aluminum four-rings logo that's embedded into the top of the Nuvolari's active rear wing is gorgeous. The rear end, which is almost entirely given over to a heat exhausting grate, is of fine-quality anodized aluminum. It looks neatly functional instead of simply industrial. And the small billet aluminum front grille is one of the more fascinatingly rendered pieces of industrial design on any current car. Each row of its horizontal louvers is set to a different pitch or attack angle, fully "open" at the bottom and "closed" at the top row. Audi says that this is functional and guides air in a tidy fashion into the S-duct that provides front downforce and steals all potential luggage space. It's absolutely stunning.Tobias SagmeisterNote though that the production version will share the design but won't be made of billet aluminum. Another minor production change from what's pictured here will be the addition of front side-marker lights. But overall the car will look the same, including the carbon-fiber body panels.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe interior is another welcome return to old Audi form. There is intention in its design simplicity instead of the reflexive addition of yet more video screens, as on current Audis. The items that look as if they are made of metal are made of metal, as well they should be for the price. These too are beautifully rendered. The cabin air vents are black-anodized aluminum with precisely cut slits that ring when you drag a fingernail over them. I would never stop doing this if I owned the car . . . "Riiiiiiing! Riiiiiiing!"Tobias SagmeisterThe levers used to control airflow through them are—don't laugh—functional art. Not to go all dash-hugging obsessive on you, but they are proper levers that run through most of their range smoothly, requiring a consistent amount of force. Then, as they approach their end positions, the force required rises rapidly, as if being pushed uphill. Then the resistance peaks and drops to near-nothing as the lever clicks into place. Think of the most satisfying toggle switch you've ever operated, and you're on the right track.Let us hope that the physical switch-and-knob fanatics at Audi can bring back satisfying tactility to the brand—and the broader industry. Yes Audi, please in this world of stackable modeled plastic chairs, be the Eames bent-plywood lounge.This might seem a meaningless detail, but it means everything to this car. If this standard-bearer for the future of Audi doesn't have the highest quality touch points, then what's the point? Not the least of which because the Nuvolari is, like the R8 before it, based on underpinnings of the smaller Lamborghini, in this case the Temerario. And the Lambo is less expensive by a large margin. The Nuvolari isn't quite twice the price of the Temerario, but it's not that far from it.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Audi uses the twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 of the Temerario—the one that spins to 10,000 rpm and produces 789 hp. Audi adds a larger battery (with 7.3 kWh gross capacity) to bring more output for the three electric motors on board. It hasn't been certified yet for the U.S. market, so the numbers might change slightly, but Audi estimates the Nuvolari will produce a total combined 987 horsepower, compared to the Lambo's completely insufficient 907 hp.Tobias SagmeisterHow much of that did I use on my very brief time behind the wheel after swapping seats? Very little, unfortunately. Audi had arranged a private road in a wildlife sanctuary/hyper-rich folks' enclave. This was nowhere to unleash nearly 1000 horsepower, and I dipped deeply into the throttle only once and only for a fleeting moment. A real assessment of the Nuvolari's dynamics will have to wait for a proper, longer drive.However, I can say the car is surprisingly loud even just idling out of a driveway, emitting a deep rumble at all times when not in EV mode. Low-speed steering response is quick and progressive, but light in the hands. Visibility is quite good, except directly to the rear, where it exists not at all. The useless rearview mirror in the prototype I drove will be replaced in production with a mirror-sized screen displaying what the rearview camera sees. The elegantly thin seats are comfortable (at least for the short drive I took) and supportive; these carbon seats are all manually controlled. No other seat will be offered. An added bonus for actual humans: Getting in and out of the Nuvolari is easy, requiring none of the ungainly contortions most supercars do.Tobias SagmeisterThe Nuvolari is a breath of fresh air in the segment even though it is mechanically so similar to an existing model. As a standard-bearer for Audi's recommitment to quality and purposeful design, it's spectacular. By the way, Döllner notes that there will be room in the lineup between the Nuvolari and the Concept C–based EV, something on the order of an R8 successor. It's not a car the company is yet working on, he says, but it is one they're thinking about.You Might Also LikeIf You Can Only Own One Car, Make It One of TheseThese Are the Most Popular Cars by State