Established in 1939 as a general repair shop by Alois Ruf Sr, RUF Automobile GmbH would pivot its operations in 1974 following the death of its founder, with his son Alois Ruf Jr. taking the reigns and focusing the shop’s efforts on modifying and upgrading Porsches. Despite its humble roots, RUF is now recognized as one of the world’s premier Porsche tuners, with its meticulously-built 911s being so significant and transformative that they actually bear their own unique VINs. Every single RUF-built 911 is now regarded as one of the most elite and sought-after sports cars in existence, so when Gooding & Company recently announced that it will soon be auctioning off four pristine original RUF specimens, needless to say, our ears instantly perked up.
All hailing from the same private collection, the first of the four examples in Gooding’s RUF//The Collection is the Pfaffenhausen firm’s RUF BTR2. Finished in yellow and riding on blacked-out wheels, this second-generation BTR wears a custom body kit with improved aerodynamics and also benefits from an integrated roll cage, and upgraded suspension. The car’s crown jewel, however, is undoubtedly its motor; a 3.6-liter flax-six that’s been plucked from the 993 Carrera, mated to a RUF six-speed manual gearbox, and tuned to put down around 420hp and 435ft-lbs of torque — specs that result in a top speed of over 190mph and a 0-60mph time of just 3.7 seconds. Next up is a 2007 RUF RK Coupe. Borrowing design cues from Porsche’s iconic 550 and 904 racers, the RUF RK was developed alongside Italian design house Studiotorino and sports a steel and aluminum frame cloaked in carbon fiber bodywork. At the heart of the RK is a RUF-supercharged 3.8-liter engine that cranks out 440hp and 347ft-lbs of torque, allowing for a 190-mph top speed and 4.3-second 0-60mph time.
Anchoring the four-car collection is a pair of 1998 RUF Turbo R models that are both finished in matching blood orange paint jobs. Both representing one of less than two dozen units produced, one of these two specimens is a coupe while the other sports a Targa top. Both cars are kicked along by completely hand-built 490-hp turbocharged 3.6-liter flat-six engines that afford a top speed exceeding 200mph — an impressive feat in modern times, much less for a vehicle from a quarter of a century ago. And, while Gooding & Co. has yet to cite a valuation for either car, previous RUF Turbo R specimens have routinely fetched around $750,000 — and it’s hard to imagine why either of these examples would be any different.
The Gooding & Co. “RUF//The Collection” is scheduled to cross the auction block at the company’s forthcoming Amelia Island Auction at the Omni Resort in Fernandina Beach, Florida starting March 3.
