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What is RUF?

What is RUF?

Ruf Automobile GmbH, often abbreviated to RUF, is a German car manufacturing company. RUF cars are made from unmarked Porsche chassis. It is on this platform that RUF design and engineer a whole other vehicle. This is the main difference between Porsche and RUF.

It is only the Porsche chassis that is used. All the other parts are all RUF For this reason, RUF is licensed by the German Government as a car manufacturer. Every RUF model has a VIN and serial number that is certified since they are recognized as production models and not modified Porsches .

In 1987, RUF set a benchmark with its CTR Yellowbird. If there was any doubt that the company was a car manufacturer and not just a Porsche modifier, this model eliminated it and elevated RUF to the status of the largest and most respected company in making Porsche-performance enhancements. Apart from manufacturing, RUF has also made a name for itself as a car tuner, a specialist in customized Porsche to RUF conversion such as Turbo R conversions and a restorer of classic Porsche and Ruff models. The company also undertakes service and crash repairs.

RUF’s first model was debuted in 1977. It was an enhancement of the Porsche 930 with a stoked 3.3 liter motor. It was followed by the company’s very first complete non-turbo Porsche, the 911 which was a naturally-aspirated model with a stoked 3.2 liter engine that produced 217 horsepower.

The launch of four RUF models in Geneva several years ago was another turning point for the company. One of the models was the Turbo Florio, so-called because of its resemblance to Targa Turbo Florio that goes back to the 1906 rally. This model is a turbocharged version of the 911 Targa which even Porsche does not offer. It charges ahead with 630 horsepower and comes with rear or all-wheel drive.

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The company also launched RGT 4.2 that is a close cut of the Porsche GT3. It has a 4.2 liter, flat six naturally aspirated engine with 525 horsepower and it comes installed with a roll cage. There was also the ‘hippie’ CTR 3 with Porsche origins that cannot be missed but whose body is all RUF. This mid-engine model was revved up to 777 horsepower. Then there was the top-range RTR that had some resemblance to the rare GT2 Porsche model. Its 3.8 liter flat six has been turbocharged to 802 horsepower which is sent through a 6-speed manual transmission to every wheel. The roll cage comes installed and so are big carbon ceramics to stop a car that reaches speeds of up to 218 mph.

In the years that followed, RUF has gone on to hold its place as a trend setter in the auto world with even more powerful Porsche-based production models. This include the 1987 RUF CTR that could reach speeds of 211 mph, which set a record as the world’s fastest production car at the time. The RUF CTR2 of 1995 performed even better, reaching speeds of 217 mph which beat the Jaguar XJ220 record of 213 mph. Like the original CTR, the CTR2 gained recognition as the second fastest production car in the world in the 90s. It was second to the McLaren F1 but for a fraction of the price.

In April 2007, RUF released the new CTR3 to celebrate the new plant in Bahrain and to mark the 20th anniversary of the first CRT. In 2010, the the difference between Porsche and RUF was underlined at the Geneva Car Show with the debut of the RGT-8, the world’s first V8-powered 911 in history.

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