The ALOIS RUF Reunion
Auto RUF, as the company was first known, opened its doors in 1939. At the time it was a general repair shop for cars, trucks, busses and any other machines that needed fixing. The business operated in a small German town called Pfaffenhausen, some 60 miles west of Munich. Founder Alois Ruf Sr. first encountered a Porsche while driving down a local road. A then-new 356 sped past and lost control, rolling in a ditch. After helping the driver from his damaged Porsche and bringing him to the hospital, Ruf Sr. took the 356 to his repair shop to hammer its mangled body back into shape. The owner of the car and Ruf Sr. later reconnected and it was decided that Ruf would buy the car. That little 356 ignited a passion for both Ruf Sr. and his son, Alois Jr., a passion which is on display at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering in ‘The Alois Ruf Reunion'.
After that 356, RUF Automobile continued buying, repairing and selling Porsches, quickly earning a reputation as a Porsche specialist. As the company's knowledge of the marque grew, it began to see areas for improvement, not just in performance but in reliability and drivability as well. RUF Automobile began modifying Porsches, eventually enhancing the cars' performance and giving them a more personal touch. The next logical step was to become a manufacturer in its own right, building cars from bare Porsche chassis and equipping them with RUF performance components.
The first car sold under the RUF banner was the SCR in 1978, followed by the BTR hitting the market in 1983. The car set a production car speed record of 186 mph in 1984, kicking off a legacy of performance which continues today.
RUF continued setting records with its next model, the CTR. Nicknamed the “Yellowbird”, it was the first production car to break 200 mph, doing so handily with a top speed of 211 mph. It wasn't just fast though, the car was also light, nimble, and reliable enough to drive every day. Even 30 years later, the Yellowbird still stands out against modern supercars. RUF has established itself as a company of firsts, breaking the 300 kph barrier for the first time with the BTR, the 200 mph barrier with the CTR, and even building one of the first all-electric sportscars, the eRUF, in 2008.
Based upon the success of the first RUF CTR, the company continued its advances with the CTR2, CTR3, and most recently a new CTR which debuted in 2017. The car was engineered and built entirely by RUF from the chassis up. The goal was to create a pure and unadulterated driving experience unlike any new vehicle on the market today, while still maintaining the power and performance expected from a modern sports car and the reliability expected of a RUF. The result was a 710 hp, 223 mph bullet built from a lightweight, carbon fiber monocoque and designed with no distractions. The minimalist 2017 CTR was built solely for the thrill of the drive, keeping the electronic aids to a minimum.
The first RUF CTR, chassis #001, was recently restored in Pfaffenhausen for esteemed enthusiast Bruce Meyer, joining his collection of some of the most historically important automobiles. That first CTR Yellowbird will debut at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering this year alongside its successor, the new CTR and a handful of other notable models.