tommallett

The RS4 is a slight departure from the two cars thus far featured. For a start, it has 4 doors and was a rival to the stock BMW M3. It is not a lightweight version of a model, it was never sold as a 2 door coupe and the most desirable version is the load lugger. So, it doesn’t follow the rules set by the previous two cars in this series (E46 M3 CSL and 360 Challenge Stradale), but it certainly deserves its place.

The B7 RS4 is not as rare as its fore bearer, the 2000 B5 RS4, but it was more of a watershed car. The B7 RS4 was the first Audi to feel alive. You no longer had to wrestle a heavy front end into a bend, it just turned in telepathically like the very best M3’s have always done. It also came with the sweetest, free revving V8 that suited it to a tee.

Unlike the other two, the RS4 is not enjoying a resurrection in value, but it had performed very well in comparison with its competition. You could order it as a saloon, estate (avant) or as a cabriolet. The very best RS4’s still command around £30,000 while E46 M3’s are under £20,000. It also hasn’t been replaced directly as yet, so if you want a fast, 4 wheel drive estate car from Audi, this is the only option.

The final reason for its iconic status is the fault of Audi itself. The B7 RS4 represents a high point for Audi’s chassis engineers. The RS5, RS3 and RS6 have failed to emulate its alertness, feeling heavy by comparison. The only car that compares is the R8, but that is still being produced and somehow feels less rare.

Time will surely tell, but I am confident that the RS4 will be looked back upon as either the start of a very special era for Audi (the era that they learned how to tune a chassis) or a summit that they failed to reach again. Surely a modern classic then.

Photos: Courtesy of Audi