Tag Archives: ruf

Ruf Rt 12 R

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2015 Ruf Rt 12 R

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 13-21, 2022

Photo – Mecum

The most famous Rufs are based on the Porsche 930, 3.2 Carrera, and the 993. Porsche’s 997 generation of the 911 was produced for the 2005 through 2013 model years, and that’s what this Rt 12 R is based on. Okay, not based on. Don’t forget Rufs are most certainly their own thing and not at all tweaked Porsches. No way.

The Rt 12 was offered between 2004 and 2012. Trim levels included “S” and “R”, with the R being more hardcore. In this spec, the twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter flat-six makes 720 horsepower and 693 lb-ft of torque. The bodywork is also revised and includes a GT3-esque rear wing and attractive center-lock Ruf wheels. Top speed was about 230 mph.

All 997 Turbos had all-wheel drive. The Rt 12 offered rear-wheel drive as an option. Just 13 R-spec Rt 12s were built, and this is one of only two in RWD configuration. This is a pretty crazy yet completely unassuming supercar. Read more about it here.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $1,100,000.

Ruf Turbo R

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1998 Ruf Turbo R

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 22, 2021

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Ruf Automobile has produced some pretty awesome Porsche-based cars over the years, some of which have become legendary, like the CTR Yellowbird. Other highlights include the CTR2 and BTR. Recently we even featured a CTR3 Clubsport.

The Turbo R is based on the 933-generation of the Porsche 911, which was produced between 1994 and 1998. The 993 was the last air-cooled variant of the 911. And it’s Turbo model was a beast. That’s where the Turbo R gets it start.

Ruf took the 993 Turbo’s twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter flat-six and tweaked it to put out 490 horsepower (about 88 more than stock). It also got a revised suspension and a Ruf body kit and wheels. An integrated roll cage was helpful if things went wrong on the way to the Turbo R’s 204-mph top speed. This example has all-wheel drive.

The Turbo R was only produced in 1998, and just 14 were built. A 993 Turbo S can bring upwards of $300,000. This should easily sail into that range. You can read more about it here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $764,000.

Ruf CTR3 Clubsport

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2013 Ruf CTR3 Clubsport

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | October 17, 2020

Photo – Bonhams

We’ve featured five Ruf automobiles thus far, with this being the sixth. The first five were all Porsche 911-based. This one, however, is based on the 987 Cayman. It’s actually built on a custom platform produced by Multimatic and is not just a modified Cayman. It just looks like a stretched Cayman.

The mid-mounted twin-turbocharged 3.7-liter flat-six makes 766 horsepower in Clubsport trim, 75 more than the base CTR3. Sixty is supposed to arrive in 3.0 seconds, and the top speed is 236 mph.

Only 30 examples of the CTR3 were produced between 2007 and 2012, and just seven examples of the Clubsport were produced since 2012 (and none have been made since 2018). This one should sell for between $780,000-$1,200,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Ruf BTR2

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1998 Ruf BTR2

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Southam, U.K. | September 28, 2018

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

The original Ruf BTR was produced in the 1980s and was based on the legendary 930 Turbo. They were available through 1989, but Ruf wouldn’t build the successor until 1993. Maybe they were waiting on the next generation of turbocharged 911s. If they were, they got impatient.

The BTR2 is powered by a turbocharged 3.6-liter flat-six that made 420 horsepower. It was the first 933 Turbo offered to the public, beating Porsche to the punch by a few years. Porsche would use two turbos in their car and it ended up making less power. This car had a top speed of 191 mph.

Only 18 examples of the BTR2 would be produced through 1998. Fifteen of those were coupes like this one, but only five of those were right-hand drive as this one is. It’s got a built-in roll cage if you want a track toy. And even if you don’t, it would still be an awesome weekend rocket. It should bring between $195,000-$260,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Ruf BTR

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1984 Ruf BTR

Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 5-14, 2018

Photo – Mecum

The BTR was Ruf Automobile’s first big time model. Ruf, of course, is interesting because they are their own manufacturer as they get Porsche chassis/bodies before a VIN tag is applied and tune them, before selling them under their own name. This car began life as a Porsche 911 (930) Turbo.

The BTR was available between 1983 and 1989. They built between 20-30 original cars, and converted (or upgraded) a few 930 Turbos after that to BTR specification. That specification is a turbocharged 3.4-liter flat-6 making 374 horsepower, which is 40-ish more horsepower than you would’ve had if you’d stuck with the Porsche.

When introduced this was among the fastest cars in the world, with a top speed approaching 190 mph. This car sports 35,000 miles and it’s a very rare opportunity to acquire one. A few Rufs have come up for sale recently, but this is a classic. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $160,000.

Ruf Yellowbird

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1989 Ruf CTR Yellowbird

Offered by Artcurial | Monaco | July 2, 2017

Photo – Artcurial

The so-called “Yellowbird” is the car that put Ruf Automobile on the map. Built from 1987, the CTR (which stood for “Group C Turbo Ruf”) was not actually based on a Porsche Turbo, but instead the 911 Carrera 3.2 of 1987.

Ruf had their way with the stock motor and by the time they were done with it, it was a twin-turbocharged 3.4-liter flat-six that was seriously underrated at 469 horsepower (it was actually likely closer to 500 or more). It was a monster supercar in its day, having a higher top speed than just about anything, topping out at a whopping 213 mph, with 60 arriving in about 3.6 seconds. It outperformed everything from Ferrari and Lamborghini upon introduction and the only thing Porsche had on it was that the 959 was quicker to 60.

It’s a legendary machine that actually looks better than the 911 Turbos (930) that it sort of competed against. If you’re familiar with the Yellowbird, you’ll notice that this car doesn’t quite look right. And you’re correct. The original owner of this car ordered this CTR from Ruf and it looked like all of the other 28 Yellowbirds that Ruf built. The current owner acquired it in 1992 and wanted something that was more usable on the track.

By 1995 it had the appearance it has now, with a full roll cage, an RSR-type spoiler out back, slight exterior trim changes, and racing wheels and tires. But it is still a true, factory-built Ruf CTR – one of only 29 completed. Ruf later converted another 25 Porsche 911 Carreras to CTR specification, but those cars are still titled as Porsches (as Ruf is designated as a separate manufacturer).

This is the first one of these I can remember seeing for sale. They’re legendary, and rightfully so. This one is expected to bring between $560,000-$900,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Artcurial’s Monaco lineup.

Update: Not sold.

Ruf RGT

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2001 Ruf RGT

Offered by Auctions America | Hilton Head, South Carolina | November 5, 2016

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

Ruf Automobile’s RGT is based, quite obviously, on the Porsche 911 and specifically for this first generation of the RGT, the 1998-2004 Porsche 996. This generation of the RGT was available from 2000-2004 and this example was specially ordered by its one-and-only owner and is one of just 14 built.

It’s powered by a 680 horsepower twin-turbo 3.6-liter flat-six. That is more than the standard RGT, but this one was outfitted to swing the balance of “road and track” heavily in “track’s” favor. For instance, it also has a 100 liter endurance fuel tank and a roll cage. The owner got rid of a Porsche Cup car to make room for this… so it had to fill some serious shoes.

So what you’re getting here is a super rare variant of a Porsche Turbo that is technically built by a different manufacturer. But it’s a turbo Porsche on steroids – built to run down pure-bred race cars on the track. You can get newer RGTs than this, but this is the original and one of Ruf’s best models. It should sell for between $80,000-$120,000 – less than a third of what has been invested into it. Click here for more info and here for more from Auctions America.

Update: Sold $73,700.

Ruf CTR2

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1997 Ruf CTR2

Offered by Mecum | Monterey, California | August 13-15, 2015

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Players of Gran Turismo will no doubt recognize this as one of the “Porsches” that they get to drive, albeit virtually, due to Porsche’s asinine exclusivity contract with EA. Instead, the video gaming generation became quite familiar with the outrageous products of Germany’s Ruf Automobile.

Founded by Alois Ruf, the company began modifying Porsches in the 1970s and the company is recognized as an actual automobile manufacturer in its own right by the German government (as their cars are built from Porsche chassis and modified before being sold).

At any rate the CTR2 was the followup to the legendary CTR “Yellowbird.” The CTR2 was built between 1995 and 1997 and based on the 993-generation 911 Turbo. It is powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter flat-six making 520 horsepower. Geared to the moon, this car is good for over 215 mph.

Only 16 CTR2s were built (with an additional 15 “Sport” models). You rarely see them, especially in the U.S. Supercar collectors, you need this. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum in Monterey.

Update: Sold $300,000.