A company started and owned by German Alois Ruf (pronounced "roof"), RUF sell modified versions of
Porsche vehicles. With a slogan of "The Perfection Of Driving Pleasure", RUF have been responsible for many popular modified
Porsches including the 1987
911 CTR "Yellow Bird", the 1996 911 CTR 2 and the 1998 996
Turbo R.
Formed in 1939 by Alois Ruf Sr, RUF started out as a general service garage. In 1949 a gas station was added to the list and, six years later, coachbuilding passenger tourist buses which led to the establishment of a seperate bus company in 1955. RUF also developed a version of the infamous Volkswagen Beetle with a lower displacement and power, but better fuel economy. It was a success due to the high taxes and gas conservation of the time. In 1958 a Fiat dealership was added so that Germans could order a Fiat and have it serviced by Ruf.
After his death in 1974, Ruf's son, Ruf Jnr, took over the company. Soon after, Ruf Jnr recognised the strengths of the 911's design and so the car became the platform and backbone of the RUF company. The first RUF-modified Porsche debuted in 1977, featuring a turbocharged engine enlarged to 3.2L using larger pistons. In 1978, RUF released a modified 911 with a 217bhp 3.2L version of the six-cylinder naturally-aspirated 3L engine. In 1981 after recognising that the weakest point of the Porsche was its four-speed transmission, RUF developed its own five-speed transmission. In 1983, RUF released the BTR in narrow and turbo body configurations with a 3.4L 374bhp engine and five-speed transmission.
In 1987, RUF released one of its most famous models, the CTR "Yellow Bird". A 469bhp twin-turbo coupe, the "Yellow Bird" reached a top speed on the Nardo race track of 342km/h - a record speed for a production car at the time. RUF also became an approved manufacturer with the US authorities for safety and emissions. In Autumn 1996, RUF released the CTR 2, a sports car in the tradition of the "Yellow Bird". Incorporating state-of-the-art technology inside its 3.6L 520bhp twin-turbo flat-six engine, the CTR 2 could reach 340km/h while still being able to meet US EPA low emissions requirements. It was followed in 1997 by the CTR 2 Sport, a lightweight version. 1998 saw the release of the 993 Turbo R, with a 490bhp twin-turbo engine.
The year 2000 was no disappointment for RUF fans with the release of the RGT and the 3400 S. The 2000 RUF RGT employed enhanced GT3 technology in its 3.6L 385bhp powerplant. The 2000 Boxster S-based 3400 S utilised the 3.4L 310bhp of the Carrera along with weight reduction for additional power. In 2001, the R Turbo was released. Based on the 911 Turbo, the R Turbo uses a 3.4L 310bhp engine.
Fact: RUF Automobile GmbH is recognised by the German government as a manufacturer, so its cars carry their own serial numbers and model designations. So for American customers, RUF vehicles cannot be registered with the DMV as Porsche vehicles. RUF can also modify an existing Porsche at request (for instance, a Porsche Boxster S can be modified to 3400S-spec for US$63,000).
The list of past and present RUF vehicles is as follows, in chronological order:
- 1977 Porsche 911 - featured a turbocharged engine enlarged to 3.3L using larger pistons
- 1978 Porsche 911 - 3.2L 217bhp version of the naturally-aspirated 3.0L engine
- 1983 RUF BTR - based on the 911, the BTR uses a 3.4L 374bhp engine and five-speed transmission and is available in narrow or turbo body configurations
- 1987 RUF CTR "Yellow Bird" - based on the 911, the CTR uses a 469bhp twin-turbo coupe
- 1996 RUF 993 CTR 2 - based on the 993, the CTR 2 uses a 3.6L 520bhp twin-turbo flat-six
- 1997 RUF 993 CTR 2 Sport - lightweight version of 1996 CTR 2
- 1998 RUF 993 Turbo R - based on the 993 Turbo, the Turbo R uses a 490bhp twin-turbo engine
- 2000 RUF 3400 S - based on the Boxster S (or Boxster at additional cost), the 3400 S uses the 3.4L 310bhp engine of the Carrera along with weight reduction for additional power
- 2000 RUF RGT - based on the 911 Carrera 2, the RGT uses the 3.6L engine from the 911 GT3
- 2001 RUF R Turbo - based on the 2001 911 Turbo, the R Turbo uses a 3.4L 310bhp mid-mounted horizontally opposed engine
Links:
RUF Website - http://www.ruf-automobile.de
Supercars.net - http://www.supercars.net