Driver’s Notebook: Ruf RGT/RS

Patrick C. Paternie

02/01/2005

Rlois Ruf rubs his hands together and then points toward the houndstooth-checked Recaro driver’s seat, beckoning me inside his latest creation, which he terms “my latest baby.” He is a chef eager to serve up his latest delicacy, and today’s special is the Ruf RGT/RS–a brilliant Mexico blue, 395 hp, ducktail-spoilered homage to his favorite classic Porsche, the 1973 Carrera RS lightweight.

Located in the quaint rural hamlet of Pfaffenhausen, about an hour’s drive southeast of Porsche’s headquarters in Stuttgart, Ruf Automobile GmbH has been serving up a menu of ultrahigh-performance Porsches since the ’70s. Its breakthrough vehicle, however, was the now legendary 1987 “Yellow Bird” CTR, which was the first street car to reliably crack the 200 mph barrier (211 mph) in a well-documented series of high-speed show­downs with exotic car manufacturers such as Ferrari and Lamborghini.

A ducktail spoiler, recalls the classic aerodynamic signature of the 1973 RS. (Click image to enlarge)

But Ruf Automobile is more than a hot rod—Porsche tuner shop. Although the company designs, distributes, and installs its own aftermarket Porsche performance products around the world, it has been certified as an automobile manufacturer in Germany since 1981 and by the U.S. authorities since 1987. Ruf has the capacity to build about 35 cars a year using bare-bones “bodies-in-white” chassis he gets directly from the factory sans Porsche serial numbers; as a manufacturer, Ruf applies his own serial numbers to each completed car. Building the RGT/RS is Ruf’s way of celebrating both the 30th anniversary of the original 911 Carrera RS–still considered the quintessential expression of the original 911 concept by many Porsche enthusiasts–and 40 years of the Ruf family’s involvement with the Porsche marque. (His father, Alois Ruf Sr., started the business in 1939 as a general auto repair shop.)

“I am going back to the basics,” Ruf says with a grin, adding that his inspiration for the RGT/RS was the by-product of restoring the dark blue 1964 901 with houndstooth-checked seats that he proudly displays in his showroom window. (The first 232 cars produced of what we now know as the 911 series were originally designated as 901 models before Peugeot threatened legal action over what it claimed to be international rights to three-digit vehicle names with a zero in the middle.)

The inspiration for the RGT/RS may have come from vintage 911s, but the chassis and mechanicals come from one of the last models of the 996 series, the GT3, a basic, stripped-down 911 (sans backseat and sound insulation) for the weekend warriors who need a track car that they can drive to work. The rear-drive, normally aspirated GT3 puts out 380 hp as delivered from Stuttgart, and Porsche built an even lighter—weight GT3 RS version that it said would be available to U.S. customers. As it has in the past, though, the company decided not to offer it in the United States. (Click image to enlarge)

“The best Porsches never come to the States,” Ruf declares. His fondness for the United States goes back more than 30 years to his first visit as a 19-year-old German country boy trying to raise capital for the family business with three modified 911s to sell. He quickly sold them and has since built up a small but extremely loyal family of owners Stateside who can afford to pay about twice the sticker price of a factory Porsche for one built by Ruf. The cars cannot exactly be called custom-built, but the relationship between Ruf and his customers is a bit like that of a fine clothier and his clients, when they share the same sense of style and taste. “This is more a passion than a business for me,” says Ruf.

When some of his “family” groused about Porsche’s decision not to offer the GT3 RS for U.S. consumption, Ruf decided to fill the void with his own rendition of a GT3. He starts with a lighter-weight, reinforced GT3 chassis and adds a sturdy integrated roll cage that is so neatly upholstered in Alcantara suede as to be undetectable save for the bracing behind the Ruf composite sport seats, to which the six-point Schroth racing harnesses are attached. Conventional three-point seat belts are retained for street use. Besides the houndstooth-checked seating inserts in the first of what Ruf intends to be a series of 35 cars, buyers can choose from two other ’70s-inspired patterns: a tartan or a basket-weave pattern.The minimalist theme of the ’73 Carrera RS carries over to simple leather interior door panels with an elastic-topped, Alcantara suede map pocket, suede-covered door handles,  and a suede cover for the side air bag. Other interior changes include green-accented Ruf gauges, a beefy leather-and-suede-wrapped Ruf steering wheel, and anodized aluminum pedal covers. An anodized aluminum shift knob with a Ruf logo works a 6-speed manual transmission that is modified to shorten the throws by 10 percent. (Click image to enlarge)

The doors, hood, and rear decklid with a stylized version of the 1973 RS’s signature ducktail spoiler are constructed of carbon fiber to trim weight. A larger, adjustable carbon fiber rear wing, complete with carrying case, quickly bolts in place for added downforce at the racetrack. Besides the ducktail spoiler, Ruf’s homage to the original Carrera is characterized by the RGT/RS script along the lower sills, and exterior colors such as Viper Green, Signal Orange, and others from Porsche’s early 1970s color palette.

Bolt-on style fender extensions continue the old-school styling theme. The metalwork beneath them has been sculpted by Ruf to allow for larger rear tires and a wider track to improve handling and stability. A Ruf-tuned adjustable suspension is also part of the package, as are Ruf-designed 18-inch, three-piece alloy wheels, Ruf six-piston brake calipers, and enormous cross-drilled brake rotors.

The 3.6-liter engine benefits from intake and exhaust tuning, plus some engine-management-system tweaking to raise the power level to 395 hp. It revs easily to the 8,000-rpm mark on the tachometer with a magnificent range of sounds that begins as a mechanical murmur and builds to a potent growl at midrange. At around 5,000 rpm, the growl explodes into a raspy scream.

It is sweet music to the ears of any 911 aficionado. When the road straightens out so I can finally run flat out through the gears, Ruf grins at me, enjoying the symphony–his car is being used as it was designed to be. The factory GT3 has a ten­dency to get loose at the rear in tight turns, so I am a bit tentative at first in the Ruf version. No worries, mate. The Ruf car just digs in and motors through the turns. The steering has a nice, hefty on-center feel and communicates what the front tires are doing on the road, a trademark of the early 911s that has been damped out of the newer cars. The car also responds instantly to steering input, just like a racecar.

In addition to the ducktail spoiler, there is an adjustable carbon fiber wing for additional downforce when racing at the track. (Click image to enlarge)

The Mexico blue RGT/RS now belongs to Joe Carastro of Santa Barbara, Calif. He first became acquainted with Alois Ruf about 20 years ago while he was living in Germany and had Ruf restore the 1973 Carrera RS lightweight that was his daily driver for eight years. Carastro says the RGT/RS is the “best lightweight Carrera RS” you can own.

After driving the car again on the tight and twisty roads of California’s Central Coast, I can say that Ruf has definitely built a thoroughly modern 911 that captures the sound and feel of the early cars while providing state-of-the-art performance and comfort.

1973 PORACHE 911 CARRERA RS
PORSCHE ENTHUSIASTS LOOKING for the ultimate 911 in 1973 just had to dial “M” followed by either 471 or 472. These were the option codes for the Carrera RS Sport (M471) and Carrera RS Touring (M472). The Carrera RS Sport was a lighter-weight version of the 911S intended for club racers who subscribed to the less-is-more theory of performance with thinner-gauge steel body panels, thinner window glass, and the absence of carpet, insulation, and rear seats. Recaro sport seats, a ducktail spoiler, 7-inch-wide rear wheels, and a distinctive Carrera-script side stripe were part of the package, along with a 210 hp, 2.7-liter flat-six engine. Only 200 were built. Porsche built 1,308 of the heavier Touring versions, which went from zero to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds and had a 149 mph top speed. (Click image to enlarge)

Ruf Automobile
888.783.6872
www.rufautocentre.com