911-AL

The value of these cars is in the eyes of the beholder. In my car career, I have found overpaying for an emotional purchase can be very exhilarating. LOL!

TT Surgeon

That's one nice BTR! Well priced, surprisingly!

Nautilus

I may be wrong but in picture #6 it looks like there is a sunroof in place. I thought that all IRC conversion meant sunroof deletion but I guess that once the cage is in place there is no problem in getting the sunroof there again.

Nice car. I wish it was this side of the pond.

Texas993

Cool car. Those BTRs are a blast to drive and a handful - single turbo and RWD. They are wonderfully raw and fast.

I'd guess that the price is right. Obviously, all of that depends on the condition, etc. And while I like the color, many buyers want the standard colors - so that may limit the buying pool.

IamSMC

It's has been long argued and probably be continually argued that Ruf VIN cars and Ruf modified Porsche VIN cars may or may not have higher or lower values. One can have a highly modified Ruf with a Porsche VIN while one can purchase a less content Ruf VIN car. So where's the higher value? Just because it has a Ruf VIN?

The body-in-white is manufactured by Porsche.

Whether a Ruf car begins life as Porsche body in white and then Ruf places a Ruf VIN on it or if a Porsche VIN car undergoes a Ruf conversion, Ruf sees both as Ruf cars.

As to value, it's really what one is willing to pay for a particular Ruf car, with or without a Ruf VIN...

TT Surgeon

^exactly right, a Ruf conversion comes with a certificate and paperwork from Ruf. They are every bit a Ruf. What's cool about this one is the integrated roll bar.

niche

Ruf Vin cars are just rarer... Conversions are Rufs just the same, but there's more of them. There is also a perceived difference if the conversion was done in Germany vs Ruf Dallas (for example).

bb993tt

I asked this question of RUF when my car was at P'haussen being converted. Their response was pretty simple: if we do the motor the car is a RUF. So I believe anything else is simply market dynamics which obviously can't be dismissed out of hand. Also, getting a RUF vin car registered in the UK was a real PITA. Don't know what it's like in the States, but I'd guess it's not as straightforward as getting a Porsche vin car done.

IamSMC

Maybe rarer because there's probably not that many customers that walked into Ruf and bought a Ruf VIN car, and by Ruf's account, they have converted many Porsche VIN cars simply because, though Ruf probably has a close working relationship with Porsche, of availability of body-in-white at any given time.

The perceived difference should take into account, logistics, I read in another thread that Ruf Dallas (new distributor: Ruf Auto US) has a tech from Ruf Germany flown in to have their "hand" on the conversions, easier to fly in a tech then to ship a car to Ruf Germany. IMHO, I don't think this makes any Ruf car less of a Ruf car...

IamSMC

It's all about the motor...yummy

Wasn't receiving "Manufacturers’ Certification from the German Federal Vehicle Officers" in 1981 and "RUF Automobile GmbH became an approved manufacturer with the US authorities for safety and emissions (EPA and DOT)" in 1987 suppose to alleviate registration issues with Ruf VIN cars?
http://www.ruf-automobile.de/en/en-u...geschichte.php

bb993tt

^^ I don't know; I just remember a story all over PistonHeads about the difficulty with the MOT. Didn't sound pretty.

Maybe Felix remembers and can shed some light?

ZAMIRZ

Not all RUF VIN cars were built from bodies-in-white. Some started off as Porsches that rolled off the production line in Stuttgart and may have lead a life in their original configuration before being converted and earning their RUF VIN.

Not all BTRs are RWD, there are Carrera 4 BTRs too. There is a car somewhat similar to this one that's for sale in Spain since middle of last year. I've posted it to the RUF Registry I maintain. You can see it here:

RUF Registry | 1995 Porsche Carrera 4 BTR Conversion

IamSMC

That would probably have to be before the Porsche VIN cars are ever registered anywhere.

Never heard of any motoring authority allowing a VIN to be replaced for another manufacturer's VIN (the one exception I know that cars are re-VIN are recovered stolen cars, however, the re-VIN are applied by law enforcement authorities).

Now back on track:
Very nice Ruf
And back on original track:
Very nice Ruf

ZAMIRZ

Not necessarily. Gerald Harrison's RUF VIN TurboR started life as an arctic silver widebody Porsche 993 and built to RUF VIN Turbo R in 2005.

IamSMC

So the customer supplied a Porsche VIN car that was already registered and after the Ruf conversion, a Ruf VIN was applied?