Are our roads and circuits enough for a limited-run hybrid supercar set to become the fastest and most powerful production model in Ingolstadt’s history? Seems so.

SIGNIFICANTLY more heat is adding to NZ’s highest per capita uptake of hot shot Audis, with three examples of Ingolstadt’s outrageous circa $1.3 million Nuvolari hypercar reportedly incoming.

The national allocation for the 736kW (that’s 1001hp) Audi Nuvolari which runs extensive Formula One-derived technology is decent.

The entire worldwide run of the fastest and most powerful production model in Audi’s richly storied history comprises only 499 units, and Europe and North America alone have secured most. The remainder are being shared to the Middle East and Asia. No word of Australia getting a look.

It is not clear exactly when this new halo car will touch down in Aotearoa, but European deliveries are commencing in the first half of 2027.

Nor is is apparent if the car will deliver in right hand drive, a factor that doesn’t preclude road let alone track use here.

Two of the NZ-bound cars have reportedly already been spoken for.

One is to a dealer group selling Audis that might well be seeking to move it on in time.

The other, on other hand, could already have ‘keeper’ status, as it is going to a collector with close association with the brand.

The third is apparently still to have a name attached.

Named after driver Tazio Nuvolari, who raced for Audi precursor Auto Union in the 1930s, this aluminium and carbon fibre-bodied mid-engined supercar is a big step up from Audi’s previous two-seater, the R8.

For all that they are broadly similar in general pitch, Nuvolari isn’t a replacement for that much appreciated model.

Instead, the Nuvolari takes the brand to a higher level of engineering, targeting McLaren, Ferrai and sister brand Lamborghini.

That ambition requires a serious powertrain, and the Nuvolari certainly has one.

It runs a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 engine, paired with three electric motors. The powertrain shares with the Lamborghini Temerario, but with Audi it has around 60kW additional wallop.

The engine itself makes 588kW/730Nm and revs to 10,000rpm, while the three electric motors produce 110kW each, the combined effect bringing up 736kW.

A 0-100kmh sprint in just 2.6 seconds, 0-200kmh in 6.8 seconds and a top speed limited to 350kmh makes it comfortably the fastest production Audi ever made.

The quickest R8 took 3.1 seconds to reach 100kmh and had a top speed of 331kmh.

As red-blooded as the Nuvolari is, there’s a Green edge. The car’s lithium-ion battery has a gross capacity of 7.3 kWh so has enough zap to facilitate short all-electric driving capability.

Nuvolari features Audi’s new design language, dubbed Radical Next, which will also come to a big-volume vehicle in Audi’s range in 2028. Radical Next first aired on a design study, called Concept C, that is also set to come to life as an electric car.

The specific look here takes inspiration from the F1 motorsport programme, with extra openings and vents to help keep the engine cool, and more movable aero parts to help deliver up to 400kg of downforce.

The moving rear wing features DRS, there are staggered 20- and 21-inch alloy wheels, and carbon ceramic brakes also feature. The rear end is almost entirely given over to a heat exhausting grate rendered from anodized aluminum.

A new all-wheel drive system dubbed Quattro Predictive Ride forms a key part of the Nuvolari's technology package. The system continuously analyses steering angle, acceleration, yaw rate, and available grip, then proactively adjusts torque distribution, braking intervention, and aerodynamic settings to maximise traction and stability.

Nuvolari’s driving characteristics are variable depending on which of the five drive modes is chosen. ‘E-Hybrid’ will run the car in all-electric mode as much as possible. Normal driving will be served by ‘Balanced’, with ‘Dynamic’ and ‘Dynamic Plus’ all turning the power up slowly in turn. At the top is a ‘Track’ mode.

The cabin is driver focused and material quality looks to be top notch, with milled and brushed aluminium used for almost all the hard components.

As well as being wickedly quick, the Nuvolari also stands as the subject of the fastest development time for an Audi. Just 405 days between the first sketch to a drivable prototype.

Right now Audi’s RS fanbase is concentrating on the new RS5, with demand fulfilling distributor expectation. The car in its own right is also a major technical departure for Audi Sport, been that operation’s first plug-in hybrid RS model, pairing a twin-turbocharged 2.9-litre V6 petrol engine with an electric motor and a 22kWh battery pack.

Combined outputs stand at 470kW of power and 825Nm of torque, a substantial increase over the outgoing RS4 Avant’s 331kW and 600Nm. Just as relevant, given the times, it also touts an electric-only driving range of approximately 80km.