The B5 Audi RS4 had a bi-turbocharged 2.7-liter six producing 381 horsepower. The B7 Audi RS4 had a 4.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 producing 420 horsepower. The B8 Audi RS4 has a naturally aspirated 4.2-liter V8 producing 450 horsepower. But is that the whole story? No, it is not.

As Chris Harris finds out on this week's Chris Harris on Cars, the progression through the model decades of a high-performance car isn't always progressive. Some iterations indeed are better than others, and whether or not that particular graph corresponds to the onward march of history can only be understood fully by driving them all back-to-back.

Either way, these are really fast cars that handle well and can swallow cargo, hunting dogs, groceries and anything else that can get tossed around on a twisty road. Maybe some bungee cords are in order.