Yes I am and yes it is. Now I need to find the perfect one like you did.

 

Fantastic post, hesperus. Thank you.

 

I have long stated that the "RUF" was in fact the Red Robin "inflation-burger" of Porsches.

Red Robin is a gourmet burger chain that does in fact have some "tasty burgers" (in the words of the great "Pulp Fiction-esque" Samuel L. Jackson.)

The old "Red Robin" menu used to feature an "inflation-burger" which cost $250.00. It was a joke, of course. No burger is worth $250.00.

The RT-12 must be an incredible piece of engineering. I just figure that unless you're going to use the car for daily duty and put 75K miles on it, the RT-12 vs. a GT-700 kit bolted to an otherwise stock 996TT (without internals) is probably just fine, in fact preferred, and you save probably $100K for the experience. Not many RUF RT-12 or GT700 owners who run these cars as a DD.

 

Considering that along with the Ruf engine you also get exterior kit, interior bits, warranty in addition to the resale value ... the price difference doesn't seem as bad. The exchange difference also plays a very big part .. Imagine picking up a Ruf at .80 euro rates.

 

And you forgot to put resale value into the equation

Would love to see some American tuners do the AMS Nardo tests, with 0-300 km/h and V Max inclusive.

Acceleration 200 km/h+ really brings out the heat in the engine, and sorts the boys from men.

 

really don't know about the resale value-- will likely never sell the car, so that sort of consideration wasn't as important at the time of purchase.

where I DO think there's some justification for the added premium are:

- exclusivity
(yes, detractors will say why pay so much extra for this, when its just a badge, and is no faster than many other tuners' off-the-shelf and less pricey kits. but the whole "premium for exclusivity and for a brand" is not something unique to Ruf, as it holds true in many other luxury categories, whether its watches, designer bags, etc etc)

- warranty & customer support
(i've given examples of this already. how many other tuners out there would fly a mechanic halfway around the world at a few days' notice, and at their expense?)

- everyday drivability
(rides better and has a softer clutch than a 100% stock 996 Turbo. doesn't scrape its chin on inclines because of the hydraulic lifting suspension. not as loud most other equally fast 911 Turbo-based cars.)

- integrated welded in roll-cage
(THIS makes a massive difference that you don't see in the typical tests. my 997GT3 has the factory half cage, and yet the Ruf feels MUCH more solid. cue the old cliche: "built like a bank vault")

can you build a 911-based car that's as quick, as refined, as exclusive, as reliable, as solid, etc etc etc, as the RT12, for less money? i've no doubt that you could. there are probably more than a few 6speeders out there who already have.

but decades on, people still view the original yellowbird and CTR2 with reverence, even if their performance has long been eclipsed by many modern cars. whether that kind of prestige is worth the massive premium can be debated ad infinitum...

cheers!

 

Erik,

I'm sure if such tests were performed in their "backyards", tuners like EVOMS, Protomotive, UMW, AWE, and so on would have no problem in sending a car to participate in those tests. But that's not the case. I'm sure no American tuner would ship one of their cars to Europe just to participate in those tests. It would take a substantial amount of money and planning to do that.

Now if an American magazine like Motor Trend, Road & Track, or another conducted such tests on American soil, I'm sure American tuners would attend. Excellence and European Car have done tests (not exactly like the ones you mentioned) and many American tuners showed up. Also remember that you have American tuners and their customers entering their cars in events like the Texas Mile and so on.

Just my two cents.

 

nice write ups..always looking forward to your posts. is that wing on the turboS from MA Shaw?

 

i'll go a step beyond this and say that a dream match up would be the best tuner cars from germany, the US and Japan, in an international ultimate street car challenge.

each country has its own version of this. Germany has the Tuner GP held at Hockenheim (Cargraphic 4.0 GT3RS has been the winner several years on the trot); Japan has their Tsukuba lap attack (generally dominated by cars like the HKS carbon Evo or the Mines R34 GTR), and of course the US has several version of this sort of competition.

Its probably never going to happen, but that would be so cool. Sort of like what some US magazines do, where they subject the cars to several disciplines from lapping to acceleration tests.

Oh well, one can always dream...

 

Customers of Ruf in the US have put their cars (CTR, Rt12 for instance) in the hands of R&T.

Why could not anyone in Europe do the same, to save cost?
There's got to be a few cars around here? Or soon would be considering the price for the dollar.

I know this is an american forum, but last time I checked the distance between USA and EU was the same in both directions

PS - Are there any tracks where it is possible to do 350 km/h+ runs for a longer period of time (like the Nardo, oval track)? I'm not sure NASCAR track would do it, I'm certainly no expert on the subject.

 

I will soon have a Protomotive 997 in Sweden Erik, it would be great to compete a little, hopefully will Gustaf on M5board arrange something during the summer again, I guess my car will arrive in June.

 

Erik,

I asked 6speed's resident track expert Tom Kerr that question and he said there aren't any U.S. tracks which give you the ability to sustain those high top end speeds. Short bursts on straights is all you can do on U.S. tracks. Tom said Road America and Daytona International Speedway are two of the fastest tracks in the U.S. and at Daytona he sees near 180 MPH lap after lap but that's not sustained. He also said Virginia International Raceway's back straight is a mile long and he can get up to 180 MPH but it's not sustained as there is a corner at the end. Tom drives a 02 996TT X50.

Of course if you were driving a higher HP car with the right gearing you can hit higher speeds at the above mentioned tracks but the speed cannot be sustained.

 

There are tracks in the USA, just not used by the general public (or enthusiasts).

TRC (Ohio Transportation Research Center): is a 7.5 mile oval I believe, 3 mile straights !!!.
There are others also.
http://www.trcpg.com/Facility_Tour.htm


MK

 

Wonderful! June is a bit late for the first event, but I presume we're running in August as well...

Strange that it takes a few people from a country with only 9 million inhabitans to do these tests

 

hehe Thats true, quite strange
I look forward to this summer, think it will be a great one

Maybe I can be in on the first event with my 9ff car? I can call Gustaf T today if he is in on the arrangement?