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German automaker Ruf Automobile GmbH (abbreviated RUF) makes vehicles. The company specializes in producing vehicles with unmarked Porsche bodywork in white. Instead of using badge engineering or disassembling pre-existing cars, these vehicles are constructed from the ground up as brand-new automobiles, using bare chassis, and are put together using Ruf-made components and materials (such as BTR, CTR2, and RT12). This indicates that the German government has formally acknowledged the brand as a manufacturer. As a result, all Ruf cars are recognized as production models rather than modified Porsches and have official Ruf VIN and serial numbers. Ruf is the biggest and most well-known manufacturer of Porsche performance upgrades and is famous for its record-breaking 211 mph CTR. Despite being primarily a manufacturer, Ruf has established itself as a car tuner, an expert in Porsche to Ruf conversions (such as Turbo R conversions), and a restoration of vintage Porsche and Ruf models. Ruf also performs maintenance and collision repairs.
In This Article...
Watch RUF’s Rise to Magnificent Freak Status in the Automotive Industry.
There aren’t many businesses that provide the same functions as Germany’s RUF. RUF was founded in Pfaffenhausen, Germany, as a garage in 1939. Over the years, it has transformed into a Porsche specialist shop, a Porsche tuner, and something that almost defies description: a manufacturer of brand-new cars that may resemble an air-cooled 911 but are actually entirely RUF from the wheels up.
If you squint, you might be able to see out some similarities between organizations like Caterham and the Lotus Seven, which greatly expanded the Lotus Seven formula’s original design intentions. Perhaps Singer as well.
The RUF CTR, also known as the Yellowbird, is a late-’80s evolution of the 911 with specifications that still blow minds today: 0-60 mph in 3.65 seconds, a 210 mph top speed, a sub-2,600-pound curb weight (! ), and a challenging but joyful demeanor behind the wheel. To date, none of those companies has created a vehicle with the same kind of world-tilting impact. It’s almost like a freak of nature—a hero vehicle that, by all accounts, exceeds even the most unjustified hopes.
A new short film called RUF: Love at the Red Line takes a look back at the company’s past eighty years, following its development from a service center to manufacturer and the production of what is likely the first viral car video (though back then, you had to buy Fascination at the Nurburgring on VHS). It includes interviews with car culture icons like Bruce Meyers and Kazunori Yamauchi, who helped promote the CTR by adding it in his enormously popular Gran Turismo video game series, as well as Alois Jr., Estonia Ruf, and other members of the firm.
The historical perspective is priceless: The 928, a front-engined vehicle that Porsche had intended to replace the rear-engine, air-cooled 911, was the a-ha moment for Alois, for instance. Obviously, it didn’t because the 911 is still operating (and in many respects, better than ever). However, the development of the CTR, which was at the time constructed using a body shell from Porsche, marked a turning point for the rear-engine sports vehicle. Instead of trying to stop the 911 from advancing toward pure, unrestrained performance, Alois and team set out to push it farther than Porsche dared. The results are still being discussed today, so RUF obviously did something good.
We could refer to this movie as a retrospective, but it would indicate that RUF’s story has come to an end. Nothing could be further from the truth, and its work will likely become more relevant and in great demand than ever before as the performance frontier pushes further and further away from the analog sports car experience that so many of us still yearn for.
In the movie, Alois Ruf says, “My motto has always been: When you drive one of our cars, you have to feel like you are driving your own trousers, your own pants.” We hope that things like the sound of a flat-six engine, the operation of a superb manual transmission, and the ability to interface with both in a properly tuned lightweight sports car will never go out of style.
Gordon Kozak
For as long as he can remember, Graham Kozak has been enamored with automobiles (probably before that, too).
The New Ruf Still Looks Like A Porsche Even Though It Isn’t Based On One
When the non-Porsche Ruf was introduced a few days ago, everyone was ecstatic, but it turns out that the car’s entirely carbon fiber body is a replica of a 1980s 911.
As you may recall, Ruf created a unique vehicle that wasn’t based on a Porsche for the first time. It turns out that it isn’t nearly the break from tradition that we had anticipated.
Ruf has dressed its brand-new carbon-tubbed CTR 2017 in a body that, let’s just say Porsche might be a little irritated if Ruf hasn’t requested permission, in homage to the 1987 CTR Yellow Bird, an absolutely bonkers 210mph version of the contemporary 911.
What makes a brand-new chassis worth the trouble, then? The most recent Porsche models are too large to have the desired impact.
With flat-cut five-spoke alloy wheels, a sizable spoiler, yellow paint, and upright, round headlamps, the look is eerily reminiscent of 1987. However, the small elements are distinctly 2017—the lower ride height, the cutting-edge headlamp technology, and the interior, which is definitely not a Porsche and is covered in Alcantara practically everywhere but the tartan leather seats.
You really, really wouldn’t want to crash it even at low speed because its extraordinarily wide body is made entirely of carbon. Is it pure hotness or is it unfortunate that Ruf didn’t create its own styling to match all the work it went into creating the chassis?
It is swift in either case. It is lighter than a McLaren 720S, weighing only 1200 kg dry, but slower moving due to longer gearing for the 700 horsepower twin-turbo Ruf. Expect a 0-62 mph time of 3.5 seconds and a 0-124 mph time of less than nine seconds, but the 224 mph top speed beats the McLaren’s 212 mph.
The 245-section front tires are dwarfed by the 305-section rear tires, which provide traction. There must be enough of grip to contain the 649 lb-ft of torque at only 2750 rpm. Ruf designed the 3.6-liter flat-six engine, which resembles the 3.6-liter flat-six used in the 1987 Yellow Bird.
We’re torn between admiring it for seamlessly fusing the old and the new and wishing the outside wasn’t just a carbon replica.
Transmit this tale
One of the world’s most instantly recognizable automobiles is the Porsche 911. Porsche has maintained the same fundamental format—a flat-six engine positioned behind the rear axle—across many iterations and decades. The Porsche crest, however, is not actually present on some of the most well-known 911s. Instead, they are formally acknowledged as being the creations of the German business Ruf, with its headquarters in Pfaffenhausen. And the Petersen Museum in Los Angeles has opened a new display honoring them.
It’s likely that you already know about Ruf if you’re a car nerd. That may be a result of the Nurburgring’s fascination. Ruf produced a 20-minute promotional movie for the Ruf CTR, popularly known as the Yellowbird, in 1987. The Yellowbird is shown in the video. Ruf modified the suspension and brakes, replaced the body panels with lightweight aluminum (or fiberglass for the bumpers), and seam-welded the chassis based on the naturally aspirated 911 Carrera 3.2. Ruf further improved the engine, bore it out to 3.4 L, added two large turbochargers, and achieved at least 463 horsepower (345 kW) and 408 lb-ft (553 Nm), which was significantly more than anything Porsche marketed at the time.
The test driver for Ruf, Stefan Roser, also appears in Fascination on the Nurburgring. He displays masterful car control over 20 minutes, hustling the Yellowbird at frequently absurd slip angles around some of the challenging turns that make up the Nordschleife. It also serves as a pretty good example of how the tire technology of 1987 was not really capable of containing all much power. Faszination on the Nurburgring VHS copies were valuable items before the Internet era, but today anybody can see it due to Ruf’s YouTube channel:
It’s more probable that if you’re reading Ars you first saw Ruf in the racing game Gran Turismo 2, which was previously hailed as the greatest console racer ever (an extremely unscientific and rather controversial judgement, it must be said). Porsche was then bound by an exclusive agreement with Electronic Arts, which lasted until 2016. Kazunori Yamauchi, the game’s designer, chose to approach Ruf instead, ostensibly accosting Alois Ruf Jr. in a hotel to guarantee the brand’s inclusion in the game.
A 1990 Ruf CTR Yellowbird, a 2012 Ruf CTR3 ClubSport, a 2007 Ruf Turbo R Cabriolet, a 2016 Ruf Turbo R Ltd, a 2016 Ruf Ultimate, a 1994 Ruf RCT EVO narrow body, a 1994 Ruf RCT EVO wide body, and a 2015 Ruf RT12R are among the vehicles on display in the “Pfaffenhausen Speed Shop—The RUF Gallery” exhibition, which debuted at the Petersen on May 15.
What distinguishes the RUF from the Porsche?
Ruf and Porsche are not that dissimilar from one another. Pfaffenhausen has a division called Ruf. Vehicles are created, improved, and restored by Ruf Automobile. The company has departments for panel beating, upholstery, paint, engines, and historic automobile sections. According to Wikipedia, the company uses unmarked Porsche bodies, also called “bodies in white.”
From there, Ruf constructs the automobiles. Instead of deconstructing already-built cars, the company builds new ones using materials from the brand. Germany now regards the brand as a manufacturer rather than just a performance brand. As a result, each vehicle receives a Ruf VIN rather than, say, a Porsche VIN.
In addition to having a tuning facility, Ruf can also restore cars. Additionally, the business provides servicing, crash repairs, and Porsche to Ruf conversions. Ruf is well-known for the CTR Porsche that set a new record for speed at 211 mph.
RUF still produces cars?
German automaker Ruf Automobile is a family-run business with headquarters in central Bavaria. Ruf is a name that speaks for engineering quality, authenticity, passion, and raw driving. It is also the family name of the company’s founder, Alois Ruf Sr., who established the business in 1939. The family-run business is distinguished not just by its own-brand, high-performance, and opulent automobiles, but also by the craftsmanship and attention to detail that are evident in each and every Ruf vehicle that leaves Pfaffenhausen. In addition to having offices in Pfaffenhausen, where Ruf Automobile GmbH is headquartered, the business also has representation in Canada, Chile, the United Kingdom, China, Thailand, and Japan.
The Porsche 9ff is what?
The German tuning business 9ff, established by Jan Fatthauer, produces the 9ff GT9, a sports car that is largely based on the Porsche 911. Based on the Porsche 911 (997) GT3, the vehicles have been completely refurbished and are equipped with a 3.6-4.0 liter flat six engine that, depending on the configuration, may produce 738 to 1,120 horsepower (550 to 835 kW; 748 to 1,136 PS). One of the biggest distinctions between the GT9 and a standard 911 is where the engine is located; while every 911 throughout Porsche’s history has been rear-engined (with the exception of the Porsche 911 GT1 race vehicle), the GT9 is mid-engined for improved weight distribution.
The 9ff reaches 60 mph (97 km/h) in 3.8 seconds (from a rolling start) or 4.2 seconds (from a standing start), and 190 mph (310 km/h) in 17.6 seconds. The original GT9’s peak speed is 409 km/h (254 mph). This was quicker than the original Bugatti Veyron but slower than the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport and SSC Ultimate Aero TT.
In order to make the cabin lighter, it was completely stripped away, making it quite simple in comparison to a conventional 911 GT3 interior. All GT9s featured a roll cage for safety and blue leather interior decoration with square patterns. Additional weight savings are achieved by a carbon fiber and Kevlar construction.
Only 150 GT9s will be made, and only 20 of them would get the most potent engine, according to 9ff. Depending on the engine and options, prices ranged from PS150,000 to PS540,000, and all of them had been sold by the time the automobile was introduced to the market.