Gwyneth Paltrow attends launch of new Audi super Avant at Audi City

This is the very first new Audi RS6 Avant to arrive in the U.K. ahead of general U.K. customer deliveries in August. Powered by a twin-turbo V8 engine, it is the most potent Audi currently made, with 560bhp and 700Nm of torque, a sprint time to 100km/h of just 3.9 seconds and a top speed electronically limited to 250km/h - which can be raised to 304km/h upon request.

Gwyneth has many links with Audi through the movies - as Pepper Potts she drove models from the prestige German brand in all three of the Iron Man action series - and America's leading lady of the moment also drives an Audi both here in London and in Los Angeles.

As befits a new model from the brand famous for its 'Vorsprung durch Technik' philosophy, the new RS6 Avant features adaptive air suspension, the legendary quattro four-wheel drive with Sports differential as well as 'Cylinder-on-Demand' technology that can spare fuel by cutting out four of the engine's eight cylinders, contributing to impressive 12.2km/L fuel economy potential.

The unique 'signature' Audi would command a price of over £88,000 (S$172,791) if it was sold by an Audi Centre, but this very special example is destined for bidders rather than buyers. It will be auctioned at the White Tie & Tiara Ball at Elton John and David Furnish's Windsor home on 27^th June, with every penny from the sale of the car going to support the work of the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

Each U.K. RS6 Avant model will feature an exhaustive list of standard equipment, including 20-inch alloy wheels, xenon all-weather headlights, electrically adjustable RS super sports seats, MMI navigation plus with MMI touch fingertip recognition technology, the Audi Music Interface (AMI), a BOSE sound system and DAB digital radio.

Especially focused drivers can also choose from numerous performance upgrades for an even more intense experience, ranging from sports suspension plus with Dynamic Ride Control (DRC) through variable ratio dynamic steering to carbon fibre-reinforced ceramic brakes and a bass-enhancing sports exhaust.