1998 Ruf Turbo R

Ruf Automobile GmbH was founded in 1939 in Pfaffenhausen, Germany as 'Auto Ruf' by Alois Ruf Sr. It began as a service garage that later expanded into a full-service gas station in 1949. In the late 1940s, RUF began experimenting with vehicle designs of their own, and in 1955 designed and built a tour bus. The popularity and good fortune led Ruf to expand the business even further by starting his own separately owned bus company.

Alois Ruf Jr. had a passion for Porsches, and after his father's death in 1974, he took over the business and focused his attention on Porsches. In 1975, the first Ruf-enhanced Porsche was introduced to the automotive community. Their first complete model followed in 1977 - a modified Porsche 930 powered by an enlarged 3.3-liter engine. In 1978, Ruf's first complete non-turbo Porsche was built - the 911 SCR. By 1988, the cars had gained approval from the NHTSA and EPA and the cars could legally be offered in the United States.

RUF Automobiles receives bodies-in-white from Porsche, meaning they have not yet been assigned a factory VIN. RUF applies its own identification numbers, unique design features, and mechanical modifications to the vehicles. Additionally, RUF converts factory-built, client-owned Porsches per request.

The RUF CTR was introduced in 1987, and its popularity and notoriety flourished after a special competition staged by Road & Track magazine at Volkswagen's Ehra-Lessien test track in Germany. The challenge was to find the 'fastest car in the world,' and the RUF achieved a maximum speed of 211 mph. This top speed bested the Porsche 959, Ferrari F40, Lamborghini Countach and Diablo, and various other notorious supers of the era. The bright yellow RUF CTR was given the nickname 'Yellow Bird' by the Road & Track photographer John Lamm.

In 1988, RUF upped the top speed even further, achieved 213 mph, and was soon followed by a newer version that set a 217 mph speed, a record that remained until 1998. This pedigree and astonishing impressive manufacturing have continually evolved over the years, culminating with the late design, the CTR4, which was introduced in 2017 at the Geneva Motor Show.

The RUF Turbo R Limited was based on the Type 993 Turbo, which had a stock output of 408 horsepower. Seven 993 Turbo bodies-in-white were purchased by RUF from the factory before the original tooling was destroyed and put aside for future development. Each of the seven air-cooled street-legal machines was unique and built to the specification of its purchaser.

by Daniel Vaughan | May 2019