Ruf Automobile

Ruf Automobile GmbH
Public
Industry Automotive
Founded 1939
Headquarters Pfaffenhausen, Germany
Key people
 Alois Ruf Sr.
Products Automobiles, Automotive parts
Website Ruf Automobile GmbH
Alois Ruf Jr. (2010)

Ruf Automobile GmbH is a German car manufacturer. Ruf vehicles are derived from unmarked Porsche chassis, specifically known as a Body in white. Through these fundamental platforms, RUF design and engineer its own original vehicles. Considering the cars are built from these bare chassis, and thereby assembled using Ruf-made parts and materials, (e.g. CTR2, RT12), instead of badge engineering, the company is officially recognized as a manufacturer by the German government. As such, all RUF models have certified Ruf VIN and serial numbers, and are recognized as production models, as opposed to modified Porsches. Ruf is historically known for its record breaking 1987 CTR Yellowbird, and is the largest, most renowned company to make Porsche performance enhancements. Though primarily a manufacturer, Ruf has also made a name for itself operating as a car tuner, a specialist in customer-requested Porsche to Ruf conversions (e.g. Turbo R conversions) and as a restorer of classic Porsche and Ruf models. Ruf carries out service and crash repair, as well.

History

The company was founded in 1939 in Pfaffenhausen, Germany as "Auto Ruf" by Alois Ruf Sr. as a service garage and was eventually expanded to include a full-service gas station in 1949. Ruf began experimenting with vehicle designs of his own in the late 1940s, and in 1955 designed and built a tour bus, which he marketed around Germany. The positive response it received led to Ruf expanding his business again by starting his own separately owned bus company.

Alois Sr.'s involvement in the car industry had a distinct effect on his son, Alois Ruf Jr., who became a sports car enthusiast. In 1960, Alois Jr. began servicing and restoring Porsche automobiles out of his father's garage. Following Alois Sr's. death in 1974, 24 year-old Alois Jr. took control of the business and focused on his passion: Porsche vehicles, and especially the 911. A year later in 1975, the first Ruf-enhanced Porsche came to life.

Ruf debuted their first complete model in 1977, a tuned version of Porsche's 930 with a stroked 3.3 litre motor. This was followed in 1978 by Ruf's first complete non-turbo Porsche, the 911 SCR. It was a naturally aspirated 911 with a stroked 3.2 litre motor producing 217 horsepower. Numerous customer orders were placed for this vehicle.

In the years since, the company has made a major mark on the automotive world by producing exceptionally powerful and exclusive Porsche-based production models including the 1987 Ruf CTR, which achieved a top speed of 211 mph, and set the record as the world's fastest production car for its time. Its successor, the 1995 Ruf CTR2, achieved 217 mph(349 km/h), surpassing the Jaguar XJ220's 213 mph record, and just like the original CTR, the CTR2 was recognised as the 2nd fastest road-legal production car available anywhere in the world in the 1990s, only 2nd to the McLaren F1, but for a fraction of the price.[1]

In April 2007, Ruf released the new CTR3 to celebrate the company's new plant in Bahrain, and as a 20th anniversary celebration of the original CTR and successor to the CTR2. In 2010 Geneva Motor Show, Ruf also showcased the RGT-8, the first production V8-powered 911 in history.

Ruf Models

A 2008 CTR3
1995-'97 Ruf CTR2

Current models

Past models

Prototype models

eRuf Electric Vehicles

Main article: eRuf Model A

The eRuf Model A is an all-electric sports car made by Ruf Automobile. The car is powered by UQM Technologies[2] propulsion system (a UQM PowerPhase 150). The car has a top speed of 225 kilometers per hour (140 mph)[3] and it's capable of making 150 kW (201 horsepower) and 479 lb-ft of torque (650 Nm).[4] Estimated range per charge is 250 kilometres to 320 kilometres, depending on performance level, using iron-phosphate, lithium-ion batteries built by Axeon of Great Britain.[5] The power and torque produced by the 3-phase motor can be used to recover almost as much power as it can put out.[6] During coasting the engine works as a generator producing electricity to charge the batteries. Alois Ruf is going to provide a 204 kW brushless three-phase motor which will catapult the Porsche 911 to a speed of 100 km/h in less than 7 seconds, offering a torque of 650Nm.

References

  1. ↑ John Lamm. Supercars. pp. 10–11. ISBN 0-7603-0794-6.
  2. ↑ "UQM Technologies". Uqm.com. Retrieved 2009-04-29.
  3. ↑ Nick Hall (2008-11-13). "eRuf Model A (electric Porsche 911)". MSN Cars. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
  4. ↑ Jake Holmes (October 2008). "Ruf eRuf Concept Model A - Car News". Car and Driver. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
  5. ↑ "Electric Drive Transportation Association". Electricdrive.org. Retrieved 2009-04-29.
  6. ↑ "eRUF Concept Model A 2008 "Emotion without Emission"" (PDF) (Press release). RUF Automobiles. 2008-10-10. Retrieved 2009-01-17.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ruf vehicles.