Originally Posted by Z356

There are some exciting news on the Ruf front, as many of you know. Just one month ago, Ruf announced the following:

"The owner of Lotus’s Formula 1 team – Genii Capital – has bought into Ruf, the maker of extreme Porsche derived supercars. Genii becomes a shareholder and strategic partner, with founding partner and Lotus F1 team chairman Gerard Lopez becoming a non-executive chairman of the board. He’s promised an eventful 2013 Geneva motor show, suggesting a new Ruf model with an exciting powertrain."

http://www.evo.co.uk/news/evonews/28...tners_ruf.html

I called on Ruf in Pfaffenhausen (Bavaria) in 1996. Alois and his wife Estonia (his wife who was born in Venezuela and helps him manage the business) were extreme hospitable hosts during that visit. I now see them often in the US if they attending the Monterey Historics or the LA Lit & Memorabilia Meet. I used to see them at PCA Parades. But PCNA might have put a stop to that - they were losing some new car sales to Alois! I think it will be very interesting to watch what Ruf does now that it has fresh capital infusion! They are always very creative and you can create a totally unique (colors, materials, etc) interior & exterior on a Ruf! They are custom made to your order!

http://www.ruf-automobile.de/

For those not familiar with Ruf, please see the following short video of his press conference at the 2013 Geneva Car show last week! If you have ever wondered how a Boxster or Cayman might be if Porsche ever put a larger motor and upgraded mechanicals in that mid-engine platform...pay close attention to when he explains their '3800S' (3.8 911S engine w. 6 speed or PDK on a Boxster or Cayman) at 5:30 on the video! He says this is 'the ultimate car for those who like a mid-engined 911'. Hello?

Saludos,
Eduardo

Ruf Press Conference: Alois Ruf on Rt12R, Rt35S, Rt35 Convertible, Boxster 991 engine + CTR3 - YouTube

Originally Posted by mike2727

Would like to see a Cayman with the new GT3 engine + PDK-S in a Ruf package, but th eprice would proberbly be too astronomical I guess

Originally Posted by Z356

Perhaps not. Ruf is allowed to buy a rolling chassis (in white) from Porsche and then furbished it with everything else. It is not like they need to start with a factory completed Cayman and then thrash 90% of it to get the mechanicals, interior & exterior of a 3800S. They will probably be doing '3800 Super S' soon with a 991 gt3-type engine!

In Germany, Ruf is considered by law as a 'manufacturer', not a 'tuner'. And they are expanding their US customer base and service capabilities! I know personally of at least four friends here in the States that have bought Ruf's: two Boxsters 3400S (Viper Green, Grey Metallic), one 996 Turbo (Gulf Blue) and one RGT (forgot the color!).

http://www.rufregistry.com/car-detai.../?&open=7&c=62

Saludos,
Eduardo

Originally Posted by GuyR

In many ways Ruf act like research for Porsche, since they've developed their own flat-8 and also turbocharged the 997 DFI engine before Porsche, but I'm not sure how co-operative the relationship actually is.

Originally Posted by Bill_C4S

Not to mention the V8 that is in the back of the RGT-8...which seems to have also been fettled by Hans Mezger...

As I've mentioned elsewhere....the 991 based RGT-8 is an intriguing alternate for those who want a manual..sport buckets and a Mezger influenced engine.

Originally Posted by GuyR

Actually there is a big difference between Ruf and Alpina.

Alpina are an official partner with BMW, the Alpina parts (engine etc) are mostly installed on the BMW factory line now and then the car heads to Buchloe where Alpina customise the interior etc. You can buy an Alpina through BMW dealers and do warranty through BMW dealers.

Ruf do not have the same partnership with Porsche, despite many people thinking they have. You cannot buy or warranty a Ruf through a Porsche dealer and there is zero official relationship. The informal relationship has persisted over the years and has I believe varied between strong and weak and I've no idea how it is now. In many ways Ruf act like research for Porsche, since they've developed their own flat-8 and also turbocharged the 997 DFI engine before Porsche, but I'm not sure how co-operative the relationship actually is. It is to Porsches detriment really, they should be backing and using the innovation and flexibility of Ruf to their advantage, but I guess both sides wish to remain their own.

Originally Posted by Larry Cable

I think its also beyond ironic that you can get a manual 911 but not a GT3 and that they swapped the sense of the PDK shifter to mimic that of a sequential... to make it more like a "real" race car...

I also wonder about the implications of PTV+ on track ... recalling the lack of rear rotor cooling and the change to the brake bias on the 7.1 that resulted in the overheating issues on that car...

Originally Posted by aussie jimmy

and those numbers on the doors are for the valet to identify your car coz there's so many blau ones there on the same day.

Originally Posted by aussie jimmy

looks like a downramp leading into a parking garage to me.

Originally Posted by Terry L

AFAIK, and I have owned my 2007 GT3 since new, there have been no overheating issues on these cars. The only issue was accelerated rear brake pad wear, blamed on one or more of increased rear brake bias, activation of the traction control which selectively brakes the rear spinning wheel, or inadequate rear brake cooling (addressed by retrofitting the 997.2 rear brake ducts - which in my personal experience fall off immediately.) There has never been a performance problem and the wear acceleration (at least with TC turned off) is not significant.

Originally Posted by Bill_C4S

Not to mention the V8 that is in the back of the RGT-8...which seems to have also been fettled by Hans Mezger...(cf. http://blog.caranddriver.com/ruf-rev...eva-auto-show/)

As I've mentioned elsewhere....the 991 based RGT-8 is an intriguing alternate for those who want a manual..sport buckets and a Mezger influenced engine.