2006 Ruf Rt12 S

Pfaffenhausen is a small village west of Munich and home to RUF RUF Automobile GmbH. The company's founder, Alois Ruf, developed an appreciation for Porsche cars in the early 1960s that has evolved into a singular relationship with the marque. It began with sales and service of Porsche vehicles, later into a boutique manufacturer of exotic, finely engineered supercars.

The company's history as a manufacturer dates to 1974 when Alois Ruf Jr. took over the company, and by 1981, it had become a certified independent manufacturer by the German Federal Bureau of Motor Vehicles. The company's first type-approved car was the BTR 3.4 of 1983. It was disarmingly discreet, with the turbocharged, 374 horsepower vehicle igniting the RUF theme of offering customers a complete and bespoke RUF-made model in a narrow-body package. The BTR was soon joined by the CTR, which in 1987, Phil Hill drove the infamous 'yellowbird' CTR to a record-breaking top speed of 211 mph for Road & Track magazine, a mark that would stand for over 10 years. The CTR went on to hold an unofficial lap record at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife for several years thereafter.

Shortly after Porsche introduced the 993 Carrera, RUF launched the 993-based 'BTR2.' As in the past, RUF beat Porsche to the marketplace with a turbocharged version of their latest model. Unlike Porsche though, whose own 993 Turbo would be an all-wheel drive, wide-body only model, RUF envisaged the BTR2 to be a rear-wheel drive, narrow-bodied coupe.

The RUF CTR2 of 1995 clocked a top speed of 350 km/h, and for a brief period of time, it was the fastest road-legal production car in the world. The new CTR3 was introduced in April of 2007, celebrating the company's new plant in Bahrain, and as a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the original CTR and successor to the CTR2.

The RGT-8, introduced in 2010 at the Geneva Motor Show, was the first production V8-powered 911 in history.

RUF RT12
With the introduction of Porsche's new 997-generation 911 platform in 2004, RUF's highly modified version was called the RT12. The 3.6-liter flat six-cylinder, based on the previous 996 Turbo 'M96', was twin-turbocharged and was capable of producing 560 horsepower in 'standard' guise. The 3.8-liter option, output rose to 650 horsepower or more. A RUF six-speed transaxle and limited-slip differential transferred the power rearward through large 12.5-inch wide wheels and three-piece OZ Superleggera wheels. The RT12 wore specially developed RUF bodywork designed to improve stability and increase downforce while at higher speeds. The fully adjustable hydraulic suspension with front axle lift suspension system was developed in collaboration with Öhlins and designed to cope with the massive amounts of power, as were the large cross-drilled disc brakes. The RT12 could sprint from zero-to-sixty mph in 3.2 seconds and had a claimed top speed of 220 mph.

The next iteration of the Rt12 was the Rt12 S, introduced in 2009 and featured a new aero kit, ceramic brake system, and output increased to 694 horsepower and 649 lb-ft of torque. The Rt 12 was produced from 2004 to 2012 and based on the Porsche 997. The Rt 12S, also based on the 997, was produced from 2009 to 2013.

by Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2022