WHEN Gwyneth Paltrow put her moniker on the world's fastest estate car it made £120,000 for charity.
That's no mean price for an Audi RS6 Avant which went under the hammer during Sir Elton John's annual White Tie and Tiara bash.
Even Audi - a master of exclusivity - admits it can't hike the price of its performance flagship beyond £107,000 and that is with some hefty indulgence in optional kit.
The car itself costs from £76,985 but in the heady world of sophisticated auto engineering that's about par for the course.
Only the Mercedes E63 AMG estate comes close at £75,535 but it's not as quick and lacks the benefit of all wheel drive.
In every way the new Audi is a masterpiece - a supercar in an estate car body and something which delivers an elite driving experience.
The new car is the third generation of the RS6 and although not as powerful as its predecessor - which shared its engine with a Lamborghini - it outstrips it in every department.
The four-litre twin turbo V8 develops 560ps and is good for 0 to 60 in less than 3.9 seconds. It tops out just shy of 190mph in its most excessive form while being restricted to a lesser 155mph in standard guise.
Not only is that almost a second quicker than the last version, its thirst has also been sated.
According to Audi the latest RS6 Avant can average 28.8 to the gallon with emissions of 229g/km compared to 20.2 and 333g/km before.
On the car we tried it returned close on 25mpg which for a beast of such proportions is impressive.
Stop/start is backed up with cylinder on demand technology which shuts down four of the eight cylinders under light driving conditions while the eight speed auto box is smooth and smart enough to second guess the slightest change on the throttle.
The ride is superlative and Audi is offering air suspension as a class leading feature.
It is a set up which improves the qualities of the handling and with the quattro drive system now combined with a sports differential and torque vectoring the car feels absolutely planted - much more composed than any previous RS model.
Factor in a potent roar from the twin exhausts and it is an experience at the top of the performance tree.
The model we drove tipped the scales at £91,450 with £16,000 worth of extras which included a carbon fibre style pack at £4,250, adaptive cruise control with lane departure alerts for £2,255 and a hands-free tailgate opening system at £575.
Even the body colour matching door mirrors came at a price - £115.
But what the heck. This is a car which will be snapped up by the discerning few - Audi expects to shift less than 1,000 a year - who want to let their hair down in a Ferrari-esque manner while still having a car that can carry the family and the kitchen sink.
While the styling remains conservative what is under the skin of the RS6 Avant creates the ultimate estate car - a feast of excellence for those who appreciate cutting edge technology, with or without a Hollywood star's autograph.