Gearhead's Trip to EU: Ruf Automobile

April 28, 2014
Story By
Albert Roxas

For automotive enthusiasts, there’s a mystique about Ruf that can be traced back to its most iconic vehicle, the one that put Ruf on the map... The Yellowbird. The newest generation of enthusiasts only knows a world in which news spreads like wildfire via Internet - but Ruf's viral marketing happened before there was "viral marketing".

NOTE: This is actually the CTR2 - the second generation of the "Yellowbird" - the actual Yellowbird wasn't onsite during our visit. In 1987 a little known tuner showed up at Road & Track’s world's fastest car competition and showed everyone its taillights. 211 MPH to be exact…in 1987- let that marinate for a bit. Almost 20 years later, Porsche’s Carrera GT flagship couldn’t catch that. Let’s go 30 years? Porsche’s 918 tech wunderkind beats it…by 3MPH. Needless to say, Ruf’s Yellowbird made quite the impression. Later, the VHS tape would be distributed of Yellowbird thrashing it's way through the corners of the Nürburgring...remember kids, this was the days before the Internet, YouTube, and viral marketing.

My first experience with Ruf was before I even had a drivers license. I was reading one of my brother's Road & Track magazines and The Yellowbird caught my eye immediately. When I bought my first Porsche (incidentally a yellow 2002 996C2) I became immersed in the Porsche community and had the opportunity to meet Alois Ruf on a few occasions. Always the gentleman, regardless of what parts were on your car, Alois' nature was the epitome of European refinement - which is a direct reflection of his company and it's vehicles as well.

You may think of Ruf Automobile as a tuner shop, but they’re not. In fact, calling Ruf a tuner is like calling the Statue of Liberty a decoration. Ruf is a manufacturer. They manufacture cars. Can you name any tuners that provide VIN numbers and are recognized as manufacturers? There aren’t any. This gives a little more insight into how serious Ruf is when it comes to their vehicles.

Of course you can buy Ruf add-on parts, which are spectacular as well – but the true Ruf experience and aura lies in the Ruf VIN’d complete vehicles.

Ruf VIN vehicles are built from blank chassis direct from Porsche. The shell is Porsche, but the heart and soul is unmistakably Ruf. From leather-trimmed roll-cages to hidden weight savings, Ruf builds cars not to be flashy, but to be incredibly refined while destroying everything they come up against. Similar to the European culture in which you don’t want anyone to “know” what you have (debadging high end cars for example) Ruf vehicles have distinctive characteristics but are subtle enough not to cause unwanted attention.

They are complete vehicles in the sense that no stone is left unturned in providing the best all-around experience of performance, reliability and functionality.

By the way, if you’re looking for something more aggressive than the 4 models Ruf currently builds (3800s, RCT, RT12R, RT35) they also happen to build a one-off hypercar – the CTR3 Clubsport.

The CTR3 uses the forward unibody of a 987 Cayman, fused with a turbular rear subframe. This mid-engine masterpiece makes 750 horsepower, uses a Hor Technologie sequential gearbox, wears 335/30R20 rear tires, and goes 236 mph.

Ruf also happens to provide in-house restoration of older Porsche vehicles – which we found onsite as well. From complete engine rebuilds to pre-911 door sill seals, Ruf is a complete coachbuilder for those longing for older vehicles with current level reliability.

If you're looking for a complete, bespoke automobile with heritage and ultimate performance, while not compromising reliability and drivability - you need not look further. Book your trip to Pfaffenhausen and bring your checkbook! It's one of the few places where money can probably buy you happiness...or at least a 200MPH car!

Gearhead's Trip to EU: Ruf Automobile

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