History of RUF
Upon the death of Alois Ruf, Sr. in 1974, his son, Alois Ruf, Jr., took over directorship of the company and vowed to continue its development and philosophy of innovation and quality.
The first RUF enhanced Porsche model made its debut in 1975. Two years later, the turbocharged 911 engine, which was enlarged to 3.3 liters by RUF through the use of larger pistons, had a distinct performance increase compared to the standard Porsche Turbo model. The power was transfered through a prototype of the RUF 5-speed-gearbox to the rear wheels.
In 1978, RUF developped a 217 bhp 3.2 liter version of the six cylinder naturally aspirated 3.0 liter engine Porsche offered (which was far below its true performance potential). This conversion was favourably received by sports car enthusiasts worldwide and resulted in numerous orders.
Recognizing that one of the weaknesses of the Porsche turbo was its four speed transmission, RUF Automobile responded to customer demand in 1981 with their own five speed. It provided distinct performance advantages and driving pleasure for the owners of the turbocharged six cylinder engine.
In 1985, RUF and Dunlop cooperated to designe 17 inch wheels using the Dunlop RunFlat System.These ingenious technological advancements provided for maximum safety during high speed motoring. New developments continued and in 1987 the CTR and BTR became available with a six speed RUF transmission. The six speed transmission was also offered to retrofit.
Following the success of the 17 inch wheel design, further work led to the introduction in 1991 of 18 and 19 inch wheels which incorporated the same safety features as were originally on the CTR. In 1992 the RUF BTR became available with the Electronic Clutch System, or EKS, which was developed in partnership with Fichtel and Sachs. EKS provides all the advantages of being able to enjoy the sportiness of shifting gears but without the tiresome clutch pedal in pesky stop-and-go traffic or in high speed conditions. It is sporty yet comfortable, with consistently flawless clutch engagement.
In 1993 2 new Turbo engines, one with a 3.6 ltr and one with a 3.8 lt were presented to the public. For the Porsche 993 twin turbo, RUF offers with its TurboR an increase in performance to 490 bhp since 1997. In numerous tests against the best high-powered sports cars, this car was the winner in the sector of drivability, performance and maximum speed.
From 2000 on RUF offers the 520 bhp upgrade for the 996 Turbo. Additionally, RUF created the next more powerful RUF Rturbo having 550 bhp and 590 bhp. For modern sports cars, there is often not enough ground clearance especially in city traffic. in 2004 RUF began offering a sport suspension that is hydraulically height adjustable and offers 50 millimeters more ground clearance by pressing a button at speeds up to 60 kilometers per hour. That same year, RUF offers the completly indipendent RUF supercharger-kit with poweroutputs between 430 and 465 PS, for the watercooled Boxster S 3,4l, Cayman S, 996 3,6l und 997 Carrera-Modelle without DFI engines.
For drivers of the Porsche 911 Turbo- RUF offers engine upgrades between 520 und 650 PS in 2005. The aerodynamic upgrade „Rt 12“ is available, for 911 Turbo and Carrera drivers. 2007, the aerodynamics package “3400K” is the suitable exterior package for the Boxster and Cayman drivers, in addition to the supercharger power upgrade.
We write 2009 when for Porsche Cayenne drivers there is a conversion program “Dakara” available. In addition to the engine performance increases for gasoline engines , there are also for the first time at RUF performance enhancements for the diesel models available. You can choose from 288 to 310 hp.
The 911 Turbo engine (997 series) is the first factory-equipped with a gasoline direct injection. RUF gives the 911 Turbo a power boost to 620 hp. In a test of “Auto Bild Sportscars” he notes with measured 2.72 seconds in the sprint from 0 to 100 km/h a new editorial team record.
