It’s hard to resist the seriously rapid estate; a car that has been simultaneously engineered to leave others in its dust, while also, somewhat improbably, carrying bags of dust. Or planks, or garden clippings, or any of the other detritus that will inevitably find its way into the back over its lifetime.
The Audi RS2 from 1994 is a popular origin story for how this cultish corner of the market came to be. Audi enlisted Porsche to help turn a trusty family wagon into a 311bhp speed machine that could hit 163mph. Pity the dog whose rug was first thrown down into the back of one.
BMW has been there from the beginning, too, and perhaps most notable of all its estate models is the 2007 M5 Touring, which featured a majestic, naturally aspirated 5.0-litre V10 engine producing over 500bhp. Neutral observers might reasonably ask why.
Well, there’s more to their appeal than a mid-life fantasy pitched at men gripping on tight to some token independence in the face of growing storage demands. (Isn’t there?)
This story is from the September 2021 edition of Esquire Singapore.
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This story is from the September 2021 edition of Esquire Singapore.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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