\n\tThe location for the car unveiling was a fitting choice for a vehicle of this magnitude and stature, with Audi taking over the grand promenade of the iconic Hotel du Cap-Eden Roc in Antibes for the intimate, invite-only affair.<\/p>\n
\n\tAs guests gathered by the base of the hotel\u2019s famed walkway overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, with flutes of champagne in hand, a leafy floral installation opened up to reveal the new car, driven by Audi F1 driver Nico Hulkenberg, with teammate Gabriel Bortoletto in the passenger\u2019s seat. Cameras flashed as the drivers parked the car on a concrete turntable just steps from the water, as curious onlookers and potential buyers alike vied for a view of Audi\u2019s latest genre-defying release.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/themes\/pmc-variety-2020\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\")
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAudi<\/p>\n
\n\tDebuting the car in the French Riviera was a deliberate choice, with the Nuvolari launch taking place over the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix weekend (indeed, just three days after the reveal event, the\u00a0Nuvolari completed two laps of the Monaco F1 circuit ahead of the race). Audi has hailed the Nuvolari\u2019s \u201cFormula 1-inspired technologies,\u201d which include a high-performance hybrid powertrain with four drive units, and a powerful combustion engine that reaches up to 10,000 rpm \u2014 a range previously reserved for motorsports. An adaptive rear wing also takes cues from Formula 1 cars<\/a>. The carbon exterior, meantime, is characterized by Audi\u2019s new signature Titanium color, a paint also seen on the Audi F1 race cars. <\/p>\n \n\tInside, the Nuvolari boasts a a 4.0-liter V8 biturbo engine, 1,001 PS and a top speed of more than 350 km\/h (approximately 218 miles per hour), easily becoming the fastest and most powerful vehicle ever produced by the German brand. For even more of a thrill, the car goes from 0 to 100 km\/h in 2.6 seconds and reaches 200 km\/h in 6.8 seconds. The new car begins shipping early next year, with production limited to just 499 units. <\/p>\n \n\tThe Nuvolari arrives as the first production vehicle under Audi\u2019s new \u201cradical next\u201d philosophy, a mindset based on \u201csimplification, avoiding complexity, avoiding the unnecessary and the superfluous,\u201d according to Massimo Frascella, the Chief Creative Officer of AUDI AG. \u201cDesign,\u201d he says, \u201cis a manifestation of this.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe new car is at once muscular and subtle in appearance, with an instantly distinctive aerodynamic presence that nods to futurism and minimalism in one. Franscella says he was tasked with distilling the look of the car down to \u201cwhat truly matters, and focusing on those things that can make a difference in their added value. This is not about eliminating everything from the car,\u201d he explains. \u201cIt\u2019s eliminating what\u2019s not needed.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tTo wit: there are no protruding rear wings or even visible door handles, while the iconic Audi \u201crings\u201d logo is grafted directly into the spoiler, rather than being raised and glued on. Merging precise lines with the sleek and sophisticated carbon fiber reinforced polymer, everything is integrated seamlessly to give the appearance of a sculptural car molded from a single piece of material.\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\tAudi F1 drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoletto at the Audi Nuvolari launch in Antibes<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAudi<\/p>\n \n\tThe feeling that Frascella wants to evoke when people see the car (or are lucky enough to take it for a spin): \u201cIt\u2019s a feeling of quality and reassurance,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s a feeling of solidity, of precision; a car that demands respect without having to say anything. It\u2019s not aggressive or something you\u2019re scared of,\u201d he adds, \u201cbut it has a presence, and has a gravity.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe new car takes its name from the legendary Italian driver Tazio Nuvolari, who was known as a pioneer of autosports, having transitioned from motorcycle racing to auto racing. Nicknamed the \u201cFlying Mantuan\u201d (a nod to his hometown of Mantua, Italy), Nuvolari was a dominant driver in the 1930s for Auto Union, a predecessor to the Audi Auto Group of today. Nuvolari was also known for always wearing a yellow sweater when he raced, and Audi honored the late driver with yellow detailing on their driver uniforms and F1 cars in Monaco.<\/p>\n \n\tAccording to Audi, deliveries of the new supercar will begin \u201cin the first half of 2027.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":35459,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[19688,150,1424,5],"class_list":["post-35458","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-france","tag-audi","tag-cars","tag-formula-1","tag-france"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35458","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35458"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35458\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35459"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/p>\n