Background
For many years, Audi had dined out on the reputation they’d earned themselves with the original Quattro, a car that spawned an entirely new category and became iconic almost overnight. But, as the years passed by and Audi conspicuously failed to replace the Quattro with anything even half as good, the ghostly presence of the firm’s legendary fire-breathing rally-spawned monster became more of a curse than a blessing.
Then, in 1999/2000, the 380bhp twin-turbocharged 2.7-litre V6 RS4 arrived, and suddenly Audi were back in the game. But the car was not without its critics – gaining both a cult following and a reputation for being a bit of a crude bruiser with rather unrefined manners.
The 2005 vintage (B7) RS4 changed everything. Out went the shouty turbos, in came a naturally aspirated 4.2-litre V8 that revved to 8500rpm (limited to a measly 7000rpm until the car reached the right operating temperature) and had a mid-range punch that could take your breath away.
This was a car that didn’t just make BMW's E46 M3 seem somewhat underpowered, it was at least its equal in the handling and ride stakes, and beat it hands down for grip.
TV’s Jeremy Clarkson raced a rock-climber to the top of a mountain in a Top Gear review that was silly even by their standards. He ‘lost’, but nevertheless found himself telling viewers that the RS4 was a better car than the BMW M3.
Bold words.
In those days, it was against the law to suggest that anything might be better than an M3.
The car we have for you today here is the third generation, model code B8, a car that eschewed the contemporary penchant for forcibly blown induction and instead made use of a high-revving, naturally aspirated 4.2-litre V8.
The eight-cylinder powerplant is good for 450bhp along with 430Nm, which as you would expect, is fed to all four wheels, thanks to Audi’s iconic quattro drivetrain, all channelled via a seven-speed dual-clutch S-Tronic transmission.
Sixty-two miles per hour is achieved in a very conservative 4.7 seconds and the top speed is limited to 155mph, although it could be increased to over 170mph as an option.
'Wave-profile', vented, floating cast-iron discs and Brembo callipers were standard issue but could be supplanted by carbon-ceramic options.
In their 2012 review of an RS4 Avant B8, Autocar wrote:
“Most cars have dynamic depths that are beyond the reach of road driving. But the Audi RS4 has so much more in its locker than most of us imagined, even after taking it for a spirited road drive, that it’s scarcely credible. It combines the most extraordinary, race-like powertrain with, much of the time, perfectly respectable comfort over long distances.”
Sounds about right to us.
