The Audi RS6 GT shows that we are in a golden era for special edition cars

It featured the Evo’s titanium turbocharger with proper World Rally Championship homologation, a faster steering rack, improved aerodynamics and ‘Tarmac’ suspension settings that bring you 10mm closer to the road.

The stickers were a £700 option in 2001 – just icing on the cake. Compare that to Citroën’s Loeb C4, a breathtakingly banal special edition that prioritized aesthetic improvements. There is one for sale in Tonbridge for £1,295.

But name-checking motorsports legends doesn’t have to be expensive or cynical. I’ve always had a soft spot for the Fiat Stilo Schumacher GP: five-cylinder with 170 hp, some intelligent wheels, chassis tuned to Prodrive. Pretty.

Of course, most of the special edition landscape is opportunistic drivel. Aston Martin is a repeat offender with its Bond reference and Pagani often feels that a bespoke livery is reason enough to issue a press release.

I have no problem with the old Audi favourite, the Black Edition, often seen on A3 etc as such cars are usually good value for money and come with lots of equipment.

And I don’t mind the silly things (the Volkswagen Polo Harlequin, the haute couture Fiat 500), but they are just that: very silly.

Nevertheless, the expertly executed, targeted and powerful special remains a rarity.

So what is out there that is already offered at a tempting price? In recent years BMW has revived the CS range and the M4 CS in F82 format is now a good offering.

A one-owner car with 30,000 miles can be had for around £40,000 – a fair bit, certainly, and the lightweight door panels etc do affect usability, but what a machine.

So light and sparkling and clearly different from the normal car. Today you’ll notice a slight lack of structural rigidity compared to the G82 M4, but for the money of a new Golf GTI you get 454 horsepower of a carefully maintained, right-sized M car that cost its first owner almost six figures. The M3 version is just as good.