Age: 64
Hometown: Pfaffenhausen, Germany
Company: RUF Automobile GmbH; employs 65 people in the same small town 60 miles west of Munich where Alois Ruf Sr. started his service centre, AUTO RUF, in 1939.
Past project: The famous CTR (Group C Turbo RUF) “Yellowbird” used a narrow Carrera 3.2 body and a mighty twin-turbocharged 3.4 liter flat-six delivering a claimed 469 horsepower and 408 pound-feet of torque. It was christened “Yellowbird” and assured iconic status when it hit 211 mph at the Ehra-Lessien test track in Germany in 1987. It also starred in a little video called Faszination at the Nürburgring. Look it up.
Current project: CTR 3 Clubsport (amongst others). The CTR 3 uses the front architecture of a current 911 but from the B pillar back it’s radically different, with a tubular rear subframe cradling a mid-mounted 3.8-liter flat-six with twin-turbochargers. It produces 767 horsepower at 7100 rpm and 723 pound-feet at 4000 rpm. The CTR 3 Clubsport can reach 236 mph, says RUF.
C/D: Why do you do this?
AR: This is a very good question. To make a long story short, it all boils down to passion and RUF’s love for the 911.
C/D: That was indeed short. Does speed still matter to you and your customers, as performance has become so stratospheric in recent years?
AR: For RUF and our customers, speed still matters, yes. Having said that, more important is how quick and smoothly you can reach the desired speed and how safe the driver feels doing so. Remember we are in the land of the autobahn where performance is the rule.
C/D: What’s been your biggest mistake in all your years as a manufacturer?
AR: Well, hmm . . . I think it was to listen to many different advisors about what our customers may want. In our segment, we have to listen to our customers and nobody else. Carefully listen to their needs and desires and then make products that they really want.
C/D: How will RUF continue to appeal to its customer base in the light of ever more accessible performance from the standard machines like the 991 Turbo S ?
AR: When you look back in our history, these sorts of high performance derivatives from the factory always existed. We provide our customers with what the 991 Turbo S doesn’t have. Just like in the past.
- Feature: 1987 Ruf CTR “Yellowbird” 911 Turbo Driven [+ Video]
- First Drive Review: 2014 Porsche 918 Spyder
- Porsche 911 Turbo / Turbo S Research: Full Pricing, Specs, Reviews, and More!
C/D: How do you want each customer to feel when they drive their RUF?
AR: Like man and machine in unison.
C/D: What’s your most exciting project right now?
AR: As always at RUF, there is not a dull moment and we are always working on many different projects. As far as the most exciting project is concerned, I am afraid you must have a little patience. You will know in due time.
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