Festival of Speed

An impressive array of vehicles from both the brand’s past and those defining the future were on show at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. Headlining the Audi offering was the stunning Nuvolari supercar which was unveiled to the world just weeks ago, heralding in a new direction for Audi and claiming the title of the fastest and most powerful production vehicle in the brand’s history. It was only fitting that such a special car be placed in the hands of Mr Le Mans himself, Tom Kristensen, an Audi motorsport legend and nine-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The high-performance hybrid drivetrain made up of a 4.0-litre biturbo V8 combustion engine and three axial flux electric motors give the Nuvolari extraordinary power and acceleration – outputting 736kW and hitting 100km/h in a lightening 2.6 seconds from standstill on the way to a top speed in excess of 350km/h.

“What impresses in the Nuvolari is the way all the systems work together,” Kristensen said of the car.”

“From the new quattro drivetrain and vehicle dynamics to aerodynamics and the braking system. Technologies such as the high-performance hybrid powertrain, active aerodynamics, and energy management are inspired by motorsports and have been consistently refined for road use.”

The Nuvolari was a big fan favourite when it flew up the iconic 1.86-kilometre hillclimb track at the Festival of Speed, one of the world’s greatest celebrations of all things automotive. But even before the famous event, it was already winning new admirers when it took to the streets of London, creating quite a stir in a city not short on exotic automotive machinery.

But while the Nuvolari was a great hit in the British capital and a star at Goodwood, it was not the only Audi to make an appearance at the event, with an eclectic mix of vehicles from the brand on hand for the huge crowds to enjoy.

Another contemporary vehicle from Audi and also sporting hybrid-drive was the all-new Audi RS 5, which, in its Formula 1 hot lap livery, blasting up the hillclimb track as well as being displayed alongside two of its historic predecessors, the Avant RS2 and the Audi RS 4 Avant.

High-performance models from different eras were also on display, with the likes of the Auto Union Type C and Type D Grand Prix cars, the Audi 90 IMSA GT and cars from Group B rally and Le Mans campaigns. But without doubt the most unusual was the Auto Union Lucca car, faithfully reproduced by Audi Tradition more than 90 years after it was crowned the ‘fastest road racing car in the world’. Despite being close to 100 years old, the Lucca car perfectly demonstrates the brand’s long history of continually pushing the envelope in terms of design, its futuristic, aerodynamic styling, years ahead of its time when it was first debuted back in 1935.

At Goodwood, the resurrected Auto Union Lucca or Rennlimousine as it was also known, thrilled a whole new generation with its striking looks and its 16-cylinder engine taken from the Auto Union Type C, singing once again. Where originally it achieved its average speed of 320.267km/h for the flying-start mile record with Hans Stuck behind the wheel, this time around it was another Audi racing legend and former teammate of Tom Kristensen’s, Dindo Capello, who put the Rennlimousine through its paces.