Nuvolari meets the press

Only unveiled to the world in June the new Audi Nuvolari supercar continues its international tour, this time giving members of the world’s motoring press the chance to actually drive the car at Spain’s Circuito de Madrid Jarama.

Of course its certainly not the first time the Nuvolari has found itself on a track. Immediately following the car’s surprise unveiling, the futuristic supercar made its first track appearance at the Monaco Grand Prix in the hands of Audi Revolut F1 Team drivers Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg.

Just a month later it was turning heads in the UK and then once again back on track – this time at the famed Goodwood track as part of this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. Nine-time Le Mans winner, Tom Kristensen, was the one behind the wheel on this occasion as the Nuvolari tackled the famous hillclimb for the first time.

From there it was a world away to the California coast and Monterey Car Week – another of the world’s most celebrated car shows, where again it wowed the crowds. Track outings on this occasion were limited to a private track in the area which was relatively small and tight and not suited to allow the 1001horsepower car (736kW) to really stretch its legs.

This most recent outing in Spain saw the Nuvolari on the 3.850km Circuito de Madrid Jarama, where press were given the chance – accompanied by members of the development team – to push closer towards the car’s upper operating speeds.

With its 4.0-litre, twin-turbo V8 working with three axial-flux e-motors (one each on the front wheels and a third mounted between the engine and the eight-speed S tonic transmission) the Nuvolari is the most powerful production Audi to turn a wheel. According to Audi’s official figures, that gives it a 0 to 100km/h time of just 2.6 seconds and 0 to 200km/h in 6.8 seconds, although most of the invited press were of the opinion that Audi was being more than a little modest and suggested that the Nuvolari was significantly quicker.

On test, the Nuvolari was hitting 300km/h by the end of Jarama’s 800 metre straight, so with its 350km/h top speed, it will need a little more room to reach maximum velocity. Nevertheless the acceleration and torque struck a chord with the assembled press and the fact that the Nuvolari remained impressively composed under extreme braking from those lofty speeds – indeed its planted feel was referenced again and again.

The array of technology working to unify the twin power sources, suspension and quattro, not to mention downforce of up to 400kg as required – is nothing short of automotive black magic. Then there are the enormous brakes – 10-piston fixed calipers working with 420 × 40mm brake discs up front, and four-piston calipers paired with 410 × 32mm discs on the rear. These carbon-ceramic brakes also use long fibres as opposed to the usual chopped carbon fibres for even greater heat dispersement – as system developed in Formula 1.

Fittingly, the pace car for the track outing was the Audi RS e-tron GT performance, the all-electric supercar was the fastest and most powerful production Audi until the Nuvolari came along, and remains somewhat more accessible than the Nuvolari given that only 499 of the hight-performance hybrid supercars will be built, and all of those are already spoken for.

But is does serve as a fitting flagship for the brand and a showcase of just what is possible. Although state-of-the-art in every conceivable respect, the press were unanimous in that it is a very special car which possesses a character all of its own.

“An Audi should have character and emotion,” said Audi chief technical officer Rouven Mohr during the Spanish track outing, “and it should drive very predictably, supporting the driver while delivering driving fun.”

And despite the myriad systems operating under the Nuvolari’s carbon-fibre skin, that was the overwhelming sentiment of the assembled press. A supercar, certainly and a triumph of technology, but one that still engages the driver and never takes over. As motoring writer Angus MacKenzie said in his test for Motor Trend after driving the Nuvolari in Spain:

“You never feel it’s the car doing all the work. Rather, it’s as if the systems have helped you become part of the machine.”

Mission accomplished.