Made in Pfaffenhausen: RUF Rolls in Style Eight Decades On
Since 1939, RUF Automobile stamped its own mark on the German automotive scene. Today, the tradition lives on with a trio of models.
Almost 35 years ago, a stunning yellow bird blew away the minds of those there to witness its first flight. Though it looked like a Porsche 911, it wasn’t. It was none other than the RUF CTR “Yellowbird,” which set the record as the world’s fastest production car in April 1987 with a top speed of 211 mph. It even topped itself the following year with another record, with a new top speed of 213 mph.
Of course, RUF didn’t appear overnight. In fact, the company was founded by its namesake, Alois Ruf, in 1939 as a service garage. By the Seventies, though, Alois Ruf Jr. took his love for Porsche to a higher level, one that would lead to the CTR of 1987, and beyond.
Today, RUF continues to build its own rides, all assembled upon a carbon-fiber monocoque chassis designed and developed in Pfaffenhausen, where the company has called home since its birth in the early 20th century. Of course, you can’t have a lineup without a Yellowbird. Thus, in 2017 at the Geneva Auto Show, the CTR Anniversary arrived to steal the show again. And though it was in the same yellow as the original CTR, it flew in with a 710-horsepower 3.6-liter twin-turbo flat-six. It even has a higher top speed than the original CTR, topping out at 225 mph. Just 50 examples will be made.
RUF isn’t resting on its laurels, though. A year later, the company revealed the SCR, a machine with a longer wheelbase than the rest of the lineup, lighter body panels, the same carbon-fiber monocoque, and 4.0-liter naturally aspirated flat-six good for 510 horses, all managed with a six-speed manual. It may not have the raw power of the CTR Anniversary, but it doesn’t need it. Not when it weighs 2,755 pounds.
Finally, there’s the upcoming RUF Rodeo. What makes this one stand out is its purpose in life: to go off-road. Either 510 or 710 horses hit all the corners to carve a path up whatever mountain it climbs. Now, RUF just needs to conquer the skies and the seas with its Porsche-inspired goodness.
Photos: RUF Automobile
Join the 6SpeedOnline forums now!
