1985 Ruf BTR II

Alois Ruf Jr. inherited his late father's company in 1974, and by this point, he was passionately involved in tuning and modifying Porsches. The company, now known as Ruf Automobile GmbH, would build a global reputation as one of the most highly regarded of Porsche's tuning firms.

The BTR (Gruppe B Turbo RUF) was the first Ruf production sports car with a company-specific VIN. It arrived in 1984 and was based on the Porsche 911 and available in narrow 911 or optional wide body configuration (similar to the 930 Turbo). Inspired by the FIA Group B regulations, the BTR used the Porsche G-Series 930 Turbo body and the tuned 3.4-liter, flat-6 turbocharged engine produced 370 horsepower at 6,000 RPM and 355 lb-ft of torque at 4,800 RPM. The five-speed manual transmission was joined by an optional six-speed unit in 1988. Over the years, the brakes became larger and the suspension stiffer.

The BTR was consistently revised, with the BTR II employing a larger K27 turbocharger, and the BTR III being fitted with a RUF-developed Motronic fuel injection system. The BTR II was based on the Porsche 993 and the single turbocharger setup had 11.6 psi of boost pressure (like the original BTR). The engine was paired with a Ruf six-speed manual transmission, limited slip differential with 60% lockup, larger disc brakes, stiffer anti-rolls, and a reduction in suspension height by 30mm. It rode on Ruf 5-spoke alloy wheels, wore unique bumpers, and the interior was fitted with racing bucket seats. The BTR 3.8 was introduced in 1993 and was based on the rear-wheel-drive 964 Carrera 2. Its 3.8-liter, turbocharged engine was paired with a six-speed automatic transmission with an electronic clutch.

Road & Track tested the BTR against the world's top contemporary models in its September 1984 issue and found it to be the world's fastest car at that time.

Ruf offered the BTR as a complete car hand-built from 'body in white' shells obtained from Porsche and wore their own unique 'W09' RUF chassis numbers. Additionally, Ruf offered upgrades to Porsche owners who wanted to bring their vehicles up to BTR specifications. Many customer Porsches were converted by Ruf, but only a few were true 'W09' BTR models. It is believed that approximately twenty-five examples were built in the period from 1984 to 1989.

by Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2022