The new Audi R8 is finally here — and it's not called the R8. Meet the Nuvolari: the most powerful and fastest production car Audi has ever built, unveiled at the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix this week. While Audi officially retired the R8 in 2023 and insisted no replacement was coming, the Nuvolari is every inch the new Audi R8 successor that we’ve been waiting for.
With 1,001PS, a twin-turbocharged V8 hybrid powertrain, a full carbon fibre body, and just 499 examples available worldwide, this is one of the most exciting new Audi announcements in decades. Read on for everything you need to know — including specs, new Audi R8 price, and the tyres it runs on.
What Is the Audi Nuvolari — Is It Really the New Audi R8?
Audi retired the R8 in 2023 after two generations, insisting at the time that no direct replacement was planned. Just over two years later, the Nuvolari has arrived to prove that statement was — at the very least — misleading.
Like the R8, the Nuvolari is a mid-engined two-seat supercar built around a high-revving combustion engine, now paired with an electrified drivetrain for the modern era. It fills the performance niche in Audi's line-up as an Audi R8 replacement, targeting buyers who want a genuine driver's machine that bears the four-ring badge.
As for the name, well that’s a nod to Tazio Nuvolari — a legendary Italian racing driver of the 1930s who famously won his last major race in 1939 at the wheel of an Auto Union car, the direct historical predecessor to Audi. Audi CEO Gernot Döllner has described the name as a natural fit, citing Nuvolari's reputation for bravery and ingenuity as qualities the car itself is designed to embody. It also worth noting that it’s not the first time the Nuvolari name has been strapped to an Audi — the Ingolstadt automaker previously used the title for a GT concept car back in 2003.