Audi's RS 4 Nogaro tribute to the RS 2

If you’re old enough then you’ll remember the Audi RS 2. It featured the 17-inch wheels and brakes from a Porsche 911 and was the car which turned the humble estate into the super-cool Avant.

It was Audi’s first ‘RS’ vehicle, produced collaboratively as a joint venture between Audi AG and Porsche, and their first high-performance road car since the 1980’s Ur-Quattro. Produced between 1994 and 1995, Audi produced around 2,908 units for the princely sum of £39,500. To put that in perspective, the price of a Ferrari F355 at the time was around £83,000.

Looking back on this key moment in history it seems surprising that Audi felt the need to shout about it even more loudly.

The RS 2 was built at Porsche’s Rossle-Bau plant in Zuffenhausen, the same place as the Mercedes-Benz 500E and Porsche 959, but nevertheless they chose to promote it in a striking Nogaro blue paint finish – a colour which recalled the victories achieved by Frank Biela on the Nogaro circuit in the French Touring Car Championship of 1993.

That was 20 years ago, and to celebrate Audi has created the RS 4 Avant Nogaro selection. It’s just a regular RS 4 with the custom Nogaro Blue paint and some exclusive equipment, although sadly none of the ‘Porsche’ logos which adorned its spiritual predecessor.

The frame of the RS 4’s Singleframe grille and window surrounds are painted in high-gloss black, while the roof rails are finished in matt black. The same high-gloss finish adorns the twin-oval RS sports exhaust pipes while 20-inch 5-V-spoke wheels embrace its red-painted brake calipers.

Inside the Nogaro blue theme continues with a choice of two seat designs featuring black Valcona leather with a choice of either black of Nogaro blue Alcantara trim in the centre section and door trim inserts. A mixture of black leather with blue stitching covers the steering wheel rim, selector lever boot and armrests, while blue threads run through the carbon inlays.

The RS 4 Nogaro’s anniversary status is captured in a series of badges and logos on the S tronic RS selector lever knob and the door sill trims.

Pricing is yet to be confirmed, while the possibility of UK specification production is still under discussion. If you’d like one, then go and speak with your Audi dealer or better still visit the Audi stand at the Geneva motor show where the limited-edition RS 4 Nogaro will debut next month.