With a powerful, free-revving V8, both elegant and menacing looks, handling like only Europeans can deliver and a sexy exhaust tone, the Audi RS4 is a car to please the most obsessed performance addict.

The RS4 is a very-high performance variant of the A4. Developing a maximum output of 420 hp, the normally aspirated V8 revs up to a speed of 8,250 rpm. With its displacement of 4163 cc, this engine exceeds the magical barrier of 100 bhp per litre. Maximum torque of 317 lb-ft comes on at 5,500 rpm from this relatively compact powerplant, with 90 percent of that twist available consistently between 2,250 and 7,600 rpm. This allows the RS4 to reach 100 km/h from zero in 4.8 seconds and 200 km/h in 16.6 seconds. Top speed is cut-off electronically at 250 km/h.

An essential point in the brief given to Audi's engineers was to optimize the car's power-to-weight ratio. Accordingly, virtually every component was checked and cross-checked for minimum weight. The front fenders -- featuring larger wheel arches -- and the hood are therefore made of aluminum, just like most chassis and suspension components. Panel-wise, only the front doors and the roof are shared with regular production A4s. The rear doors were modified to follow the larger contour of the rear fenders, while the trunk-lid and extremities of the rear end are shaped to form an elegant, integrated spoiler.

An unabashed, AWD, five-seater, road missile

BMW's M5 still has it beat power-wise