BMW M3 TOURING

What is it about the finest fast wagons that hits the spot for so very many of us? Rarity, certainly. 

Seriously potent, longitudinally engined performance estates are pretty thin on the ground, having only sprouted as a concept as recently as 1994 with the Porschedeveloped Audi RS2. Versatility? Definitely that, too. The idea of 500bhp up front and 500 litres of space at the back will get the attention of anyone who buys their performance cars in order to use them as much as possible.

Their owners live with them, build a rapport with them and truly understand them. I think here in the UK - the hot hatch capital of the world - we are better at this than most places, and an outrageously fast estate is about as emblematic of the mindset as it gets.