AudiThe Audi Nuvolari certainly took a lot of people by surprise. When the R8 left the lineup, it left the German car manufacturer without a supercar, and many wondered if we would ever see a new version, successor, or all-new supercar enter the range again. With the Nuvolari, we got our answer.Looking more like a concept car than a production car, the Nuvolari promises big performance from its twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter Lamborghini V, combined with three electric motors. But whereas the Audi R8 was produced in as many numbers as possible, depending on demand, the Nuvolari will be highly limited.In what was quite an eyebrow-raiser, there will be just 499 units of the new supercar produced. It is the total opposite of how Audi handled the R8's production run. In fact, over a 17-year production run, Audi produced 45,949 units of the R8, a huge number for a supercar.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe German manufacturer is treating the new Nuvolari a bit differently. Audi has explained why it has done this, and even though numbers are going to be limited, it opens up a whole new performance world for the German company in the year that it finally entered Formula 1 as a full-factory operation.Why Just the 499 Nuvolari Supercars?AudiAn Audi spokesperson recently told American publication Road & Track just why it is making only 499 examples of the supercars. "The limited production underlines the characteristic of this car as the pinnacle of our product portfolio," they said. "It resonates with the sublime luxury and the excellence in performance engineering," added the spokesperson.In short, the company believes that as the pinnacle of its portfolio, and the ultimate in terms of what it can do with performance, it deserves the limited treatment. While you could argue that the R8 was the pinnacle of Audi's range, the Nuvolari moves the goalposts from that supercar, both in terms of its performance, as well as the striking design created. In fact, the Nuvolari sits above cars such as the Lamborghini Temerario in some key areas.Under the hood is a mighty 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged Lamborghini V8 engine. If that wasn't enough, three electric motors have been added to make this a mighty hybrid supercar, verging on hypercar territory. All in, the Nuvolari makes a staggering 987hp, and it has an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission to handle all of that power. It has more power than the Temerario, it costs more, and will be produced in smaller numbers.How Audi Moved the Goalposts From the R8 SupercarAudiFirst of all, the design of the Nuvolari has elevated it above its predecessor. Some influence from the R8 is evident, such as the shape of the front and the sleek proportions of the car. You can think of it as the R8 reimagined for the late-2020s, with even more power and brought bang up to date. But it isn't just the design that Audi has moved on.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe brakes use F1 technology, with a mixture of Carbon-Carbon tech and regular carbon ceramic brake tech. The supercar offers "extreme deceleration loads on par with a current Formula 1 car," according to the manufacturer. The power is another area in which the new supercar moves the goalposts from the R8. The most power you'd see out of the R8 was around 577hp as standard, whereas the Nuvolari has nearly double that figure.There Could Be More Nuvolari's in the FutureWhile it will initially produce just the 499 units, Audi isn't going to let that be the end of the supercar. In an interview with Top Gear, Audi CEO Gernot Döllner said that they would be willing to produce a Spyder version of the car. It won't have 499 units like the coupe, but it would add to the initial batch and take total production over 500 units. Who knows, though; maybe it will prove so popular that Audi can't resist a full production run as it did with the R8.If you want more stories like this, follow Guessing Headlights on Yahoo so you don't miss what's coming next.