Porsche May Build A Supercar Derived From The Audi Nuvolari That's Derived From The Lamborghini Temerario

There are a lot of strange things going on inside the Volkswagen Group as the company looks for all sorts of funky ways to save money while still creating cool stuff. Perhaps that's where the latest rumor about a prospective Porsche halo supercar has come from. After all, earlier this year, the German automaker said it was "evaluating" the idea of a new hypercar. One of the options could come from something Porsche does better than almost anybody: platform sharing.

Rather than developing a new car entirely from scratch, as it did with the 918 Spyder and Carrera GT, Porsche could turn to its VW Group stablemate Audi for some help, according to Automotive News. It's entirely possible that the newly introduced Audi Nuvolari supercar could provide the basis for an upcoming Porsche that would sit well above the 911. Of course, the Nuvolari itself shares much of its architecture and powertrain with the deliriously quick Lamborghini Temerario. However, the Nuvolari takes things up another notch, increasing horsepower up to 987, limiting production to just 499 and crafting the body out of carbon fiber. It also costs a damn bit more than the Lambo, with prices starting north of $700,000. Because of all that, the ethos of this proposed Porsche is a bit closer to the Nuvolari than the Temerario.

While it may seem nearly sacrilegious for Porsche to badge engineer its halo car, it's not like the Nuvolari and Temerario are poor dance partners. The plug-in-hybrid twin-turbocharged V8 drivetrains in both cars provide the sort of power that corrupts me. 0 to 60 mph in about 2 seconds and a 10,000-rpm redline will do that to you; add in sublime handling, and that's a recipe for one sick-ass Porsche. Is it as true-to-form as a 918 or CGT? Maybe not, but if it's this or nothing, I'm taking this.

VW Group has always been into this idea, especially for its higher-end sports cars — look no further than the Audi R8 and Lamborghini Gallardo/Huracán. Porsche isn't exactly a stranger to a little badge engineering, either. A prime example is, of course, the Porsche Cayenne. Its MLB EVO architecture is shared with the VW Touareg, Audi Q7 and Q8 E-Tron, Bentley Bentayga and Lamborghini Urus.

That's not the only example, as Porsche's upcoming all-electric 718 Boxster and Cayman are going to share a platform with a production version of the Audi Concept C. Hell, Audi is so committed to that little car that it said it would continue on with development even as Porsche wavered on its commitment.

AutoNews also pointed to Porsche's planned large three-row crossover, which has been promised since Moses wore short pants. It's apparently going to be heavily related to the recently revealed Audi Q9, and that could suggest even stronger ties between the two companies.

All of this means that something like the electric 2023 Porsche Mission X concept probably isn't going to reach fruition anytime soon, and that's certainly a shame. We'll never know how that car would drive, but I've got a feeling it would be rather brilliant. Still, a Porsche based on the Temerario-based Nuvolari isn't exactly something to sneeze at.