AUDI NUVOLARI CONQUERS THE GOODWOOD FESTIVAL OF SPEED AMID INNOVATION AND TRIBUTES TO HISTORY

The Goodwood Festival of Speed has once again confirmed itself as the ideal stage to celebrate the past, present, and future of the automobile. Among the protagonists of the 2026 edition was Audi, which chose the famous British event to showcase the extraordinary potential of the new Audi Nuvolari to the public—the plug-in hybrid supercar destined to represent the new technological peak of the Brand of the Four Rings.

On the iconic roads of the Goodwood House estate in West Sussex, the German brand showcased two souls that are seemingly distant but deeply intertwined: on one hand, the most advanced technological research, and on the other, the historical heritage preserved by Audi Tradition. A combination that made the manufacturer’s presence one of the most anticipated moments of the entire event.

The new supercar tackles the famous Hillclimb

The attention of enthusiasts focused on the traditional Hillclimb, the approximately 1.9-kilometer hill climb that represents the heart of the Goodwood Festival of Speed. A short but extremely challenging route, it has become one of the most prestigious proving grounds for sports and racing cars over the years.

Right here, Audi brought an almost final production prototype of the Nuvolari, entrusting the steering wheel to one of the most authoritative figures in motorsport history: Tom Kristensen, a nine-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and a true legend of world endurance racing.

The Danish driver’s presence confirmed the strong link between the new supercar and the world of racing, from which many of the technical solutions adopted on the production model are derived.

Technology born on the track

According to Kristensen, the real strength of the new Audi Nuvolari lies not exclusively in absolute performance, but above all in the integration of all the technologies developed by the Ingolstadt engineers.

“What strikes you about the Audi Nuvolari is the extraordinary interaction of all the systems. From the new generation of the quattro all-wheel-drive system to the plug-in hybrid powertrain, passing through active aerodynamics and the braking system inspired by Formula 1, every element works in perfect harmony. It is a demonstration of how the experience gained in motorsport can translate into a road car with exceptional performance.”

Indeed, the Audi Nuvolari represents the most powerful and fastest model ever built by the brand and inaugurates a new styling philosophy destined to characterize future models of the four rings.

Produced in just 499 units, the supercar will reach the hands of the first customers during 2027, confirming Audi’s desire to create an exclusive automobile destined to become a future collector’s item right from the start.

Goodwood, the place where past and future coexist

The Festival of Speed is not just an event dedicated to innovations in the automotive industry. Born to celebrate automotive culture in all its forms, it represents one of the most important events in the world for manufacturers, collectors, and enthusiasts.

Audi was able to interpret this spirit perfectly by flanking the Nuvolari with a rich selection of historic cars from the Audi Tradition collection. Visitors were thus able to admire some of the legendary protagonists of endurance racing and rallies, alongside the famous Auto Union Type C and Type D Silver Arrows, true symbols of German engineering from the 1930s.

The return of the Auto Union Lucca

Among the most fascinating attractions of the entire Audi stand was the Auto Union Lucca, featuring in its first dynamic demonstration in front of the general public.

This is a faithful reconstruction of the famous streamliner that in 1935 set the world land speed record on public roads, reaching an extraordinary 326.975 kilometers per hour and becoming the fastest road racing car on the planet at the time.

The replica was created by Audi Tradition as a tribute to one of the most significant chapters in the brand’s history. Following its official presentation in recent months right in the Tuscan city of Lucca—the location where the historic record was set—Goodwood represented the car’s dynamic debut in front of international enthusiasts.

Seeing this extraordinary automobile in motion once again brought back memories of a time when the pursuit of absolute speed represented one of the greatest technological challenges for the European automotive industry.

A complete vision of the automobile

Audi’s presence at the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2026 effectively told the story of the brand’s contemporary identity: innovation, performance, and respect for its own history.

• On one hand, the Nuvolari: An expression of the most advanced hybrid and aerodynamic technologies developed for series production.
• On the other hand, the Auto Union Lucca: Alongside the legendary cars preserved by Audi Tradition, standing as a testament to a sporting heritage that continues to inspire the future today.

This dual soul demonstrates that the evolution of the automobile cannot disregard its own memory. For Audi, the future involves the ability to innovate without forgetting the most important pages of its history, transforming every new car into an ideal bridge between the legacy of motorsport and the technologies that will drive the mobility of tomorrow.