First look: Audi's coupe stunner
BY BRUCE NEWTON | 11th Mar 2003
Named after the legendary grand prix driver of the 1930s, Tazio Nuvolari, the two-door aluminium spaceframe coupe is packed with future Audi styling cues inside and out, as well as the latest technology.
"The Nuvolari quattro outlines the direction that Audi's exterior and interior design will take," said head of design for the Audi brand group, Walter de'Silva.
"We are aware of our brand's heritage and will continue this success story in evolutionary steps." The powerful front-end and rear of the Nuvolari are close to the theme that Audi is expected to reveal in production form on the A6 luxury sedan at the Frankfurt motor show in September.
The Nuvolari is a 2+2 - although Audi says any production car would have to offer full adult seating for two in the rear. Its body is 4.80 metres long, 1.92 metres wide and 1.41 metres high, with a wheelbase of 2.89 metres The reveal of the Nuvolari follows on from January's unveiling of the Pikes Peak luxury cross-over at the Detroit show and is a further indicator of Audi's desire to tackle its German rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz head-on in all lucrative areas of the car market.
The Nuvolari would be a direct competitor for BMW's forthcoming 6 Series coupe as well as an E-class based B-pillarless four-door Mercedes-Benz is tipped to be revealing at Frankfurt.
The Audi concept was also presented with a stunning new powerplant - a bi-turbo 5.0-litre V10 that produces 441kW and a maximum torque of 750Nm. With the aid of Audi's quattro system, the Nuvolari accelerates from 0 to 100km/h in 4.1 seconds and has a governed maximum speed of 250km/h.
Other mechanical features include a six-speed automatic transmission using shift-by-wire technology, with semi-manual function via paddles on the steering wheel.
There's also a motorsport-spec brake system including drilled discs, nine-spoke 20.6-inch wheels and an aluminium suspension system comprising four-link front end, trapezoidal-link rear axle and adaptive air dampers.
Innovative technology includes "by wire", operation of the electro-mechanical parking brake and the shift lever for the six-speed tiptronic automatic transmission and LED headlights and tail-lights, the latter including adjustability by infra-red control.
The Nuvolari also features the MMI Multi Media Interface for infotainment and vehicle system communication already used in the new A8 production car.