Long-term test: Audi A7 3.0 TDI quattro

One of the things a car company will sometimes do to drum up publicity for a new model is hold an event called a static unveil, usually held in a palatial venue somewhere in exotic Europe and awash with servants carrying unicorn canapés, crispy dolphin belly and Drambuie on silver platters. It's wall-to-wall with freeloaders car journalists, each bursting with anticipation and empty calories as they wait to see what the perfectly illuminated new car will look like when the cover is finally lifted.*

I was at the static unveil of the Audi A7 back in July 2010, and, after clearing my head of the fog of bamboozling Anglo-German PR speak and otherworldly aperitifs, I left the building believing I'd just seen one of the most visually arresting cars Audi had ever produced.