Audi RS4 Avant Nogaro pays tribute to the original Audi RS – the RS2 Avant

A special Edition Audi RS – the Audi RS4 Avant Nogaro – marks 20 years of Audi RS cars and pays tribute to the original RS – the RS 2.

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We’ve got used to estate cars with supercar prowess from Audi in recent years, but it wasn’t always so.

Until 1994 there really wasn’t an Audi that was anything more than just a titivated family car. But then came the Audi RS 2 Avant.

A joint development between Audi and Porsche, the RS2 Avant was based on the Audi 80 Avant with a very tweaked turbocharged version of Audi’s 5-cylinder engine, bolted together by Porsche and which could scoot to 62mph in 4.8 seconds.

The RS2 Avant was the start of Audis RS cars, so with 2014 marking the 20th anniversary of the RS 2, Audi are releasing a special edition RS4 – the Audi RS 4 Avant Nogaro – which commemorates 20 years of RS and pays tribute to the original RS 2.

Sadly, despite Porsche and Audi both now being under the umbrella of the VW Group, Porsche has had no input in to the RS 4 Avant Nogaro and the special edition is just cosmetic with no tweaks to the 4WD or the 450bhp 4.2 litre V8.

That means a Nogaro Blue paint job, the same blue theme on the centre section of the seats, bits of blue stitching, blue piping for the mats and a few black highlights on the exterior. And that’s it – the rest is bog standard RS 4 Avant.

The Audi RS 4 Avant Nogaro will debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month before going on sale across Europe.

Audi hasn’t yet decided if it will offer the Nogaro in the UK.