Nope. Definitely not a Porsche. “It’s torn straight from a Porsche history book… But sure I’ll bite. What is it?” Story time! Have you ever heard of RUF? RUF Automobile GmbH is the contrivance of Alois Ruf Jr. The german company formerly known as “Auto Ruf” originally began as his father’s automotive service garage in the the late 30’s in Pfaffehausen, Germany. However, a drastic evolution came to fruition in the mid 70’s when Alois took control of his father’s business and began to further embellish his deeper interest in sports cars particularly (you guessed it) Porsche.
Now if you Google RUF, you’ll note a full spectrum of undeniably Porsche-esque cars, because that’s pretty much exactly what they are. RUF vehicles are fabricated from unbadged Porsche chassis, but are brimming with home-made high-performance parts and trimmed with unique body modifications. In turn RUF are officially recognized by Germany as a full-on automotive manufacturer with their own production vehicles, complete with certified VIN numbers, rather than just a modified Porsche dealer. Their vehicle lineup and reputation is quite impressive in fact. In 1987 their RUF CTR “Yellowbird” made news when it reached a striking 211mph, setting a record as the world’s fastest production car for that time, and followed that trend again in 1988 when it reached 213mph. 40+ years of Porsche based legacy in mind let’s get back to the issue at hand; The vehicle pictured is not a Porsche. Moreover, it’s not even built on a Porsche frame as per their norm. That’s the weird part.
The yellow knock-out in question is the 2017 RUF CTR; and she is a well-bred homage to the timeless class and elegant style of eras past. And the kicker? For the first time since the manufacturers conception, it is a car entirely of their own design. The CTR is built atop RUF’s uniquely tailored carbon fiber monocoque chassis, in which the body and frame are integrated as a single structure, with an incorporated roll cage. The CTR weighs in at only 2640 lbs which is propelled by a fierce twin turbo 3.6 liter flat-six rear mounted engine that pushes a staggering 700 horsepower directly to the rear wheels. At 0-62 in 3.5 seconds, a top speed of 225mph and a fine rear end no self-respecting petrolhead could help but ogling, she’s got moxie.
The 2017 RUF CTR is an eloquent and remarkably powerful nod to the ageless sports car spirit, and those are the qualities that have endeared so many motorists to the RUF brand throughout the years. I tip my hat to you Alois. RUF is unique in their industry, and have garnered an unflinchingly loyal following therein. What more could a company hope for? Here’s to hoping they avail themselves of more of these gorgeous originals in the future.
Photo and vehicle specs courtesy of roadandtrack.com
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