New Audi R8 Nuvolari supercar – is this the END of Lamborghini?

[00:02] What on earth are the car makers trying to do to us? This is a brand new Audi R8 replacement, but it isn't what you think. It's faster, rarer, [music] more expensive, and more exclusive than a Lamborghini.

[00:16] And it could be the best car Audi has ever made, or the most disappointing. We'll find out. It's called the Nuvolari. It has over 1,000 horsepower, does 0 to 60 in 2.6 seconds, and can hit 217

[00:30] numbers, because this is the most unusual looking Audi I've seen in years. From the side, it's like someone fed the original R8 through a Minecraft filter and added gigantic alloy wheels. Seriously, are they rationing curves

[00:44] over Audi's design studio or something? But from other angles, it looks worryingly like a stretched Tesla Cybertruck, or something like Will Smith would drive if they gave I, Robot an AI-generated remake for 2026. But none

[00:57] because Audi basically confirmed this Concept CE last year. Both cars have the silhouette of an Apple mouse and the color palette of a new-build bathroom. But the thing that stands out most is

[01:10] the upright grill. It seems completely out of place on a wide, ground-hugging supercar, like watching a portrait video on [music] a widescreen TV. However, there's a reason for this. It's been inspired by the original Silver Arrows

[01:22] race cars from the 1930s, one of which was raced by the Italian driver Tazio Nuvolari, which is where the car gets its very un-German name. That's all a it's a good thing you don't have to be an automotive historian to guess where

[01:36] from. The massive black intake behind the doors, they're obviously a reference to the original R8's iconic sideburns. Sorry, sideblades. And the vast black diffuser, matching hollowed-out bodywork, and gigantic

[01:49] central exhaust all look like they belong on a Murciélago SV. about this car that seems more [music] raging bull than four rings. Because if you peel away the bodywork, you'll find this car is basically a Lamborghini

[02:03] Temerario underneath. This means the iconic naturally aspirated V10 in the old R8 has finally been put to pasture. In its place, you get the twin-turbo 4-liter hybrid V8 and dual motors on the front axle like you get in the

[02:15] Temerario. And they're all connected to a 7.3 kWh battery between the seats, shaft used to go. However, the new Velari gets a few important [music] and unexpected differences compared with Lambo's baby supercar. The outgoing R8

[02:30] prom dress and put on a pantsuit. And it upstage its Italian [music] cousin. But not anymore. Sure, the new Velari's V8 develops the same 800 horsepower and equally bonkers 10,000 rpm as the

[02:43] Lambo's engine. And the three electric motors are basically the same. But somehow, [music] Audi's managed to coax an extra 81 horsepower out of the car's combined total. This means the new Velari has 1,001 horsepower compared to

[02:56] the Temerario's 920 horsepower. As a result, it'll go from 0 to 60 mph in less than 2.6 seconds, which is half a second quicker than the old R8 Performance. It's also 1/10 of a second quicker than the Lamborghini Temerario.

[03:08] And only 1/10 of a second behind Lambo's flagship, the Revuelto. However, when I raced those two Lambos over a standing quarter mile, here's what happened.

[03:27] faster than the Temerario. Anyway, based on both these stats, I bet the new Audi will turn out to be quicker than both Lamborghinis. That would mean this Audi is quicker in a drag race than any Lamborghini ever made. Talk about a turn

[03:39] Velari is significantly more exclusive will continue to sell the Revuelto for as long as there are customers and emissions regulations allow. But Audi has taken a different approach. Only 499

[03:52] of these new Velaris will ever be made. That makes it rarer than a LaFerrari. However, this scarcity comes at a price. This is by far the most expensive new Audi on sale. When orders open soon, it'll cost around half a million pounds.

[04:06] starting price on a Lamborghini It's double what a Temerario costs and three times more than a basic R8 cost when it was last on sale in 2024. So, why would anyone pay that much for what

[04:19] Temerario? Well, besides the unusual styling and the extra 80 horsepower, Audi has gone completely rogue with the interior. And I don't just mean the fact they copied Polestar's [music] genius idea of not having a rear window.

[04:32] steering wheel, I bet you'd never guess which brand designed this cabin. Some of it is good. The metal door handles and paddle shifters look great, and I bet they feel wonderful. But, the massive center screen doesn't scream supercar.

[04:45] If anything, it shouts Volvo SUV. Now, don't get me wrong, it's a nice-looking interior. But, does it look like it belongs in a car that costs half a million quid? I don't think so. So, where does your money actually go? Well,

[04:57] silver-painted car, but the entire body is made from carbon fiber, which is an Audi first. You'd expect it would make this new car significantly lighter than the Temerario, which uses a blend of carbon and aluminum. But, [music] that's

[05:10] not actually the case. Audi claims this new car weighs less than 1,750 kg dry, whereas the Temerario's dry weight is just 1,690 kg. [music] Now, dry weights are a bit confusing. The reality is, with fluids,

[05:24] this Audi's curb weight will probably [music] be almost 1.9 tons, which is a lot for a supercar. However, to make sure the new Velari can handle all its weight, the team drafted in Gabriel Bortoleto from Audi's fledgling Formula

[05:37] 1 squad to help set up the chassis. Apparently, he likes his cars to be as well. One of the biggest changes they made was to the suspension. The Lamborghini's adaptive setup with electromagnetic adjustment is gone,

[05:50] replaced by a fully mechanical system. Audi also overhauled the geometry to make the track [music] width even wider, and it fitted larger ceramic brakes than measure a whopping [music] 420 mm at the front and 410 mm at the

[06:05] rear. [music] So, will this completely transform the way this car drives? Probably not, but actually, this doesn't matter. Unlike the original R8, the new Valarie hasn't been designed to make mid-engine supercars more accessible.

[06:18] with Ferrari, McLaren, and Lamborghini, [music] not just the Porsche 911. No one is going to be driving it on their morning be dreaming of buying a used one in a decade's time for the same price as a

[06:31] family SUV. I bet almost every one of the 499 cars will be treated as an investment and barely driven. Still, I guess that if all the cars are locked up in some climate-controlled garage, they won't be offending any old R8 fans, will

[06:44] you did, give it a like. If you think this [music] car's looks are compared to Ferrari's new electric car, the Luce, and you can see exactly what I mean by clicking on my [music] video about that car. Also, don't forget to

[06:57] subscribe to this channel, because I'll be driving this new Audi as soon as possible. Thanks for watching, and I'll see you next time.