But then nothing shouts performance louder than those fabulous-looking oversize 19in wheels, standard issue on the RS6, not to mention the ridiculous eight-pot callipers wrapped round the gargantuan front discs. Oh, and then there's the twin oval pipes poking from under the rear valance that wouldn't look out of place on a maxed-up Murci΃©lago. As for the noise, well, thunderous only begins to describe it.

Bloody hell it's quick, too, even compared with today's so-called supercars. And its real ace is that all this horsepower is so accessible. Just how it escaped from Ingolstadt in this form amazes me - the guy doing the final emissions/noise tests must have gone off for a pee at the wrong moment for this beast to escape and be legally let loose on our unsuspecting road network.

The RS6 seems to have a serious attitude problem, and I'm very glad it's my mate and not yours. The 4.2-litre twin-turbo V8 oozes menace from the moment you twist the key and it turns plain bad as the rev rise to the 6800rpm cut-out. The whole time you're in this car the engine utterly dominates the driving experience, so it's a good job it's such a belter. What's more, the turbocharged 444bhp is delivered to the road through the quattro drivetrain with no restraint required on the driver's part whatsoever (in the dry at least). I think we're going to get on just fine.

Trouble is, even with a posted 444bhp it isn't the most powerful car in the garage right now. Another one, ordered over a year ago, has just turned up, boasting a tarmac-wilting 500bhp from its supercharged V8. The local fuel station has never had it so good. More details next month.