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What would you do if you heard one of the most intriguing rumors imaginable from multiple sources you deem to be credible. Then Audi’s most senior staff begin speaking to the press sounding as if they are teasing it too, including various mentions of V8s and the Lamborghini Temerario? Even more intriguing, what if the story, if true, hadn’t yet broken? What if you weren’t planning to attend any reveal and weren’t tied to any sort of embargo?
Well, if you were me, you’d have been sitting on it and weighing your options while marveling at the positivity and boldness of the potential change of course Audi seemingly continues to be taking under its current leadership.
Would people at the brand be frustrated with me? Maybe. If it’s real, it’s certainly one of the juiciest stories I’ve heard in a long time.
Is my hearing about it intentional so that I’m expected to tell the tale? Frankly, I can’t be certain. I’ve now heard it from multiple unexpected international angles and, while I don’t know everything, I know enough that it’s probably time to share.
Is now the right moment? Audi just dropped a teaser yesterday across all its channels and the date confirmed within falls during Monaco GP week — this Thursday… tomorrow, to be exact. One thing’s for certain. Some people (probably influencers) are going to watch something (probably a sports car) get revealed tomorrow. Sadly for me, I won’t be among them.
LET’S BEGIN WITH THE TEASER
Early Tuesday morning, likely around the same time the Q7 teaser also hit Audi’s primary public relations channels, the brand’s major Instagram accounts (@audi, @audif1, @audi_de and @audisport) all posted the same video short.
It’s a fast-cut black-and-white tribute to Tazio Nuvolari and the phrase “Son of the Wind.” It also contains shots of race cars, but curiously none that wore four rings.
Nuvolari remains one of the most legendary racing drivers of all time and deserves far more attention than this story allows.
Expect more on him soon. In short though, Tazio Nuvolari is perhaps best known for winning the 1935 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring in a two-year-old Alfa Romeo Tipo B/P3 campaigned by Enzo Ferrari’s Scuderia Ferrari team against the vastly more powerful German competition from Auto Union and Mercedes-Benz. Adolf Hitler, who was reportedly in attendance that day, was no doubt less than pleased by the upset — a fact that only adds to the lore.
In Audi circles, Nuvolari is also remembered for joining Auto Union for the 1938 season following the death of his friend Bernd Rosemeyer who’d been their previous star driver having won the European championship in 1936. The timing of Tazio’s arrival coincided with Auto Union’s transition from the Type C V16 to the Type D V12. Beyond motorsport, Nuvolari’s name also appeared on the 2003 Audi Nuvolari quattro concept that previewed the production A5 Coupe.
Also worth noting perhaps is the branding. This is the first time we see the name or the Audi logo in yellow, with the word “Nuvolari” also in all-caps, stacked vertically and in a font that we’ve only seen used thus far by the Audi Revolut F1 team.
NOW COMES MONACO
Monaco has hosted Grand Prix racing longer than Formula 1 itself has existed. The tight street circuit winding through the principality was already an established fixture when Auto Union arrived there with its groundbreaking mid-engined Silver Arrows.
Auto Union competed there in 1936 and 1937, but the Monaco Grand Prix was not held in 1938. The race returned in 1939, though Nuvolari did not compete there for Auto Union. As such, though he may have won races in the principality, Tazio never raced an Auto Union under the four rings through the streets of Monaco.
Nevertheless, the event remains iconic. Audi, through Auto Union, has history there. Nuvolari has history there. And this year’s Monaco Grand Prix, Audi’s first of the brand’s modern F1 era, takes place this coming weekend.
So, the planned event tomorrow will reveal some sort of tribute to Nuvolari and likely what he represented to the brand – a restart in trying times and an ace of Italian decent there to help the brand write the next chapter in its story.
SO WHAT WILL IT BE? PROBABLY NOT AN R8.
Here’s where we enter the realm of rumor, though I try to stick to information that I believe has a reasonable chance of being accurate and clearly identify where I may be guessing.
In this case, multiple sources suggest the reveal will involve a sports car derived from Lamborghini architecture.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard whispers of an “R8 Mk3.” Supposedly, one was considered early in the development process and alongside the project that would eventually become the Temerario. That R8’s design was reportedly finalized and presumably under former design chief Marc Lichte. If accurate, that car likely resembled what is quickly becoming Audi’s former design language.
What I’m hearing now is that this latest project aligns more closely with where Audi is heading under Massimo Frascella’s “Radical Simplicity” philosophy. Think less of the previous era or even the latest RS 5 design and more along the lines of what we saw with Concept C.
Several key Audi executives have gone on the record as of late, at least casually, chatting about a new R8 being “a good idea” or sharing appreciation for the V8 of the Temerario in particular. With a chassis produced in Audi’s Böllinger Höfe facility in Heilbronn, Germany, an engine conceptualized by Audi’s new development boss Rouven Mohr (fresh from a stint at Lambo) and a line of predecessors that also underpinned both generations of R8, the Temerario’s compatibility seems obvious.
But what about the other less obvious possibility? Bear with me. I’m theorizing.
If we read into the potential historical easter eggs that are byproducts of Audi evoking Tazio Nuvolari, could the car alternatively be based on the Lamborghini Revuelto? Nuvolari’s Auto Union Type D had a 12-cylinder (V12) after all. So did another previous Audi fantasy concept built to signal an Audi rebirth at a trying time – the 1991 Avus quattro with its then-theoretical W12 engine.
One source told me the car will be very limited in production — perhaps around 1,000 units — with pricing positioned somewhere between the Temerario and Revuelto.
That would make sense if Audi wanted to fast-track a halo supercar to market, potentially unveiling it with little advance warning or bringing it to series production far more quickly than even the production version of Concept C is slated to arrive.
At such low volumes and such a price point, this is more theoretically possible though logic suggests such a car would not be a successor to the more attainable R8.
The R8 was always positioned below its Lamborghini counterparts – Gallardo and Huracán. It was conceived as a more approachable supercar, particularly in first-generation V8 form, and targeted a much broader audience.
If what I’m hearing is accurate, this is something different.
AND WHAT WILL THEY CALL IT?
This is where things get particularly interesting and I am purely educated guessing.
If it’s presented as a concept car, my bet would be Concept D. After all, Concept C’s name drew inspiration from the Auto Union Type C. The Type D followed, and that car was piloted by Nuvolari. The naming convention fits perfectly.
Would Audi call it “Nuvolari”? I doubt it, but anything is possible. What we do know is that the name would likely require licensing from Tazio Nuvolari’s estate and doesn’t fit Audi’s current alphanumeric naming structure.
R8 would be interesting, and the R8 LMP was the most dominant car to ever rack up wins at Le Mans, but we’ve already covered why this likely isn’t a direct successor to the road-going R8. Leaving room for a future revival of a more attainable R8 road car also has its appeal.
So what then?
If it’s V12-powered, perhaps R10. The Audi R10 LMP also dominated Le Mans… and with a V12 twin turbo no less… albeit a diesel one. Alternatively, the R18 is also a Le Mans legend that competed with all-wheel drive and a hybrid system… if only a V6 and not a V12.
Either name would suit a flagship supercar, particularly one based on Revuelto architecture. Both race cars were proportionally longer than the R8, which would align well with the proportions of the V12 Revuelto.
Then there’s R26.
Audi could certainly name the car after its current Formula 1 entry. The connection would be obvious and the current F1 momentum is undeniable. Fans seeking a direct tie to Audi’s modern racing efforts would likely embrace it.
Still, I’d advise against it.
Establishment car enthusiasts would recognize the substantive difference. The R26 has yet to log its first win, whereas the R8 name is tied directly to the most successful Le Mans car in history. If Audi wants a name that authentically evokes victory and heritage, the endurance racing route is stronger in my opinion.
If the car ends up being Temerario-based, perhaps something like R8R or R8C would be more fitting. These cars didn’t win themselves, but they’re an extension of the R8 legend.
But that’s just my interpretation of a rumor I’ve heard from multiple directions.
Time will tell.
Whatever it is, and whatever Audi decides to call it, I’m fairly certain it will be something worth paying attention to.
Go team.
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