Following the success of the Porsche developed RS2, Audi returned to the seriously fast estate car formula in 1999 with the B5 RS4, although this time the project was very much an Audi and Cosworth affair.

Starting with the S4's 2.7-litre twin-turbocharged V6, Cosworth Technology extensively reworked the engine with revised cylinder heads, larger turbochargers and numerous internal changes, resulting in 375bhp and 325lb/ft of torque.

Drive was sent through a six-speed manual gearbox to Audi's Quattro four-wheel drive system, launching the RS4 from 0-62mph in just 4.9 seconds and onwards to an electronically limited 155mph. Unlike its B7 successor, there was no Saloon or Cabriolet option.

The B5 RS4 was available exclusively as an Avant, and visually it was anything but an ordinary A4 estate.

Huge flared wheelarches accommodated its wider track, complemented by deeper bumpers, enlarged air intakes, sill extensions and 18-inch alloy wheels.

More than 25 years later, its proportions ...