In 1994, Audi and its corporate cousin Porsche teamed up to make one of the fastest, nastiest, Audi-est wagons ever: the RS2 Avant. The first ever RS car, it quickly became a legend for being quick as a 911 and capable of hauling all your gear. And now it's back! Sort of.
Actually, this is not the RS2 Avant. This is just a tribute, a special edition of the sexy new RS4 Avant done up to look just like its older brother. It's called the RS4 Avant Nogaro, and it's set to debut at the Geneva Motor Show later this year.
Basically, it's a paint and interior job. But when you're in a car as kickass as an RS4 Avant, will you really care that much?
The exterior sports a special Nogaro blue pearl paint job that echoes the famous one from the RS2, a unique grille and oval exhausts, and optional blue interior trim that also echoes the original. The Nogaro paint is named for the Nogaro racing circuit in France, where Audi won two French Touring Car Championship victories in the early 1990s.
I'd love to tell you that it also has the RS2's original 2.2.-liter, 315 horsepower turbocharged inline five-cylinder engine, but sadly this RS4 makes do with just a 444 horsepower 4.4-liter V8. The good news is I don't remember anyone calling the new RS4 slow.
Expect the RS4 Nogaro to go on sale soon in Europe, and never here in the U.S. because we don't get it. Sad face.