Reaction from the assembled journalists at the press-day reveal was, however, far from positive. After a decade-and-a-half of coolly sophisticated styling that has been carefully developed, the Nuvolari's pugnacious and somewhat overworked look was seen as misconceived by many commentators. However, the car's distinctive upright 'shield' grille is already on its way to the showroom on the nose of the next-generation A6. Nuvolari is not a clue to the next-generation TT (which will be replaced by something of similar size), but a study for bigger and more upmarket coupes.

Officially, Audi says that the Nuvolari (named after the legendary race driver) is a 'vision of an elegant, powerful Gran Turismo for tomorrow'. According to de'Silva, 'the Nuvolari Quattro outlines the direction that Audi's exterior and interior design will take. We are aware of the brand's heritage and will continue this success story in evolutionary steps'.

Built around an aluminium spaceframe chassis, the 4.8m-long two-door coupe is a 2+2. It is powered by Audi's most powerful road-going engine, a 5-litre V10 direct-injection biturbo unit claimed to deliver 600bhp and be capable of propelling the car to 62mph in just 4.1 seconds. The engine (thought to be related to the V10 unit in the Lamborghini Gallardo) also delivers the full 553lb ft complement of torque from just 2000rpm.

Unsurprisingly, the Nuvolari has a quattro transmission, which drives all four wheels through a six-speed, shift-by-wire automatic transmission. The car rides on 'adaptive air suspension'; there's an air spring at each corner paired with electronically-controlled, continuously adaptive dampers. The Nuvolari would also be able to run at three different ride heights, depending on the driving conditions. It rolls on 265/720 R 560 (a metric measurement that's roughly 20.6in) PAX run-flat tyres.

The Nuvolari's clever (and very compact) LED headlights and tail-lights are currently being developed and are likely to be production-ready in the next few years. In the next step on from the swivelling xenon headlights that are just reaching the market, Audi says that LED headlights will have 'dynamic cornering beams' with no moving parts. The width and direction of the beam will be adjusted simply by activating more groups of LEDs. The LED rear lights, brake lights and indicators also take a developmental step forward. An infra-red sensor is used to determine if there's dirt on the lamp covers or they're being obscured by spray, and automatically increases the LED's brightness.

Like the Pikes Peak SUV concept shown at the Detroit show in January, the Nuvolari rested on the Geneva show stand in stark contrast to Audi's production models. Although the Nuvolari is more readily identifiable as an Audi than the Pikes Peak - thanks to the strong TT overtones - it seemed to lack the exceptional subtly and upmarket 'sheer' surfacing of Audi's current range.

Such Audi markers as horizontal sills and clean bodysides, free of styling lines, have been abandoned in this new look. One commonly heard criticism at Geneva was that this new approach was too generic and lacked the restrained individualism of the TT and new A4, even if it was more eye-catching at first glance.

Perhaps the most encouraging part of the Nuvolari is the interior design, which takes the interior themes of the new A8 and moves them forward. For example, the switchgear-loaded centre console has been raised up at a steeper angle and slightly inclined towards the driver.

Despite all this, one senior Audi source told evo that reaction to the car was, from Audi's point of view, 'excellent'. 'We had very little negative comment - apart from some minor details - and generally it was hugely positive. We've already had people calling to put in orders. Remember, the TT was also criticised at the concept stage. Sure, the Pikes Peak was also called into question but for styling details rather than the overall concept and that's helpful and was noted by the project team.'

But whatever the fall-out from these two concepts, Audi is set for a serious design shake-up, according to our source. 'There will be a new family face, and in production form not everyone will like it, but we're comfortable with that. We have already taken the decision to be bolder.' Sounds like Audi is doing a BMW...