Audi Nuvolari review

A quick caveat to start with, to point out that we have only driven the Nuvolari on track, and despite its 400kg of downforce and carbon brakes, this is emphatically not designed to be a track car.

But is it good on track?

Surprisingly, yes. Okay, it's not as sharp and rewarding, not as edgy and communicative as a GT3 RS or a McLaren 765LT, but it does uphold the reputation once enjoyed by the R8 of being a road-going supercar that also knew its way around a circuit.

Put it this way, there’s a huge gap between what this car looks like it should be capable of, and what it is capable of. Seeing it being driven hard is akin to watching Darth Vader do the 100m. He’s doing it, he’s clearly winning, but it doesn’t look entirely natural.

There’s a picture. But first we need to discuss the Temerario in the room…

Yeah, the V8 and what it sounds and feels like. This is the Lamborghini’s biggest weak point. It's all well and good that it can rev to 10,000rpm, and up there it sounds like a superbike (as does the Nuvolari) but in reality you use the mid range, and there the Temerario is flat, nasally and unpleasant.

Audi has made changes. In the bulkhead it has installed what it calls an ‘acoustic wall’. Underberg tells us the aim “is to take out the noise, but keep the sound. The tunes”. And it’s mostly worked. The noise is deeper, more pleasant at road revs, less shrill. Still quite resonant in a way that gets in your ear, but all things considered a big improvement.

As a powertrain it’s highly effective at building speed – you expect that when you’ve got 1,001bhp working on about 1,900kg (the 1,750kg quoted figure is a dry weight). And the power delivery is progressive and natural – you don’t get a sudden surge of electric as despite each motor (one for each front wheel, one between the engine and gearbox) being able to deliver 150bhp, the maximum power deliverable at any one time is only 200bhp.

So petrol always dominates, electric is there to help with the torque vectoring. Which is so clever Audi has called it QPR.

After the football team?

No, after Quattro Predictive Ride. Which isn't quite right, as it doesn't actually affect the ride. This is a torque vectoring system, built up around a super sensitive central 6D movement sensor. Located in the middle of the car, it measures linear and angular acceleration in three dimensions to choose where the electric motors should send their power. It's an upgraded, faster reacting system than the one fitted to the Lamborghini and it is smoothly uncanny at feeding the power around – because you really do feel the front axle help out – and it mostly does that very well indeed.

Hoof it clumsily through a slow second gear corner and you will still get understeer, but pour it more progressively through and you can feel the two front motors fighting to keep the nose on line.

That sounds pretty complex, but didn’t you say the suspension was simple?
It is. The central computer only manages traction and power distribution, the ride is entirely passive. Audi has worked with suspension masters KW (who also supply Porsche, Manthey and just about everyone else) to develop four-way adjustable dampers.

Adjustable, not adaptive. If you want to change the settings, you’re jacking your Nuvolari in the air and sliding on your back underneath it. Which precisely zero owners will ever do. They have a technician to do that for them.

But passive systems tend to result in cars that behave more naturally. And so it is here. The Nuvolari feels progressive at the limit and despite the low speed understeer, it’s nicely balanced and front and rear axles work harmoniously together. That’s not the case with the Temerario which feels more disjointed and edgier when turning in. So the Audi is both friendlier and more rewarding. It would be nice to have more steering feel, but because the chassis is well connected and moves predictably, you have confidence.

And overall?

It likes to be driven smoothly. Do that and it is calm in your hands and progressive in its movements. It’s not an oversteer lover, but it does a very good job of giving you a whiff of a slide as it comes out of corners. And special mention to the brakes (420mm Brembo CCMR discs grabbed by 10-piston calipers) which are absolutely outstanding.