RUF Continues Tradition of Manufacturing Fine Automobiles From the Ground Up
Legend of RUF continues to grow as what used to be a small repair show has blossomed into a full-blown manufacturer of fine performance cars.
There’s a common misconception in the automotive world that RUF is nothing more than another of many companies that modifies Porsche vehicles. That, of course, simply isn’t true – RUF is actually classified by the German government as a manufacturer, and as such, it manufactures brand new vehicles from the ground up. This is an important distinction because, as most are aware, it’s easy to modify vehicles but rather complicated to design, engineer, and manufacture them. However, RUF has been doing just that for quite some time now.
Alois Ruf Sr. founded the company that bears his name way back in 1939 as an automotive repair shop in the small village of Pfaffenhausen, where it remains today. His son, Alois Jr., was born in 1950, and would grow up to have a big influence on the direction of the company, which at one time was focused on BMW.
The younger RUF became interesting in sports cars at an early age and built a custom 911 Carrera RS 3.0 in 1975, which would foreshadow the outfit’s first hand-built vehicle – the 1983 RUF BTR.
The CTR – better known as the “Yellow Bird” would follow in 1987, really putting the company on the map thanks to its breathtaking, world-beating performance.
Today, RUF offers a trio of special machines, each handmade in Germany with VIN and serial numbers, each personally tested by Alois himself before they’re shipped to customers.
This trio of models – the CTR Anniversary, SCR, and RUF Rodeo – all ride on a carbon-fiber monocoque chassis that was designed and developed in-house, making them the first vehicles that are 100 percent RUF from the ground up.
The CTR Anniversary pays tribute to the legendary Yellow Bird, but with even better performance thanks to its carbon fiber body and chassis that result in a dry weight of just 2,640 pounds. Its 3.6-liter twin-turbo flat-six produces an impressive 710 horsepower and 649 pound-feet of torque, pushing it to 62 mph in less than 3.5 seconds with a 225 mph top speed.
The SCR follows the same formula with a 2,755-pound curb weight, but with a naturally-aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six making 510 horsepower and 347 pound-feet of torque that also helps it crest the 200 mph mark. Finally, the RUF Rodeo is sold in an all-wheel-drive configuration with with either a naturally-aspirated or twin-turbocharged flat-six, with the former cranking out 510 horsepower and the latter offering up 700 horsepower for sublime performance.
RUF’s story is certainly an inspiring one as the dream of a father and a son that grew from a simple repair shop into one of the world’s finest boutique automotive manufacturers. But it’s also clearly a story that’s far from finished as the legend of Pfaffenhausen continues to blossom.
Photos: RUF
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