It isn’t of course a 911 at all. And not a Porsche either, whatever your eyes tell you. This Ruf RTurbo RT12, one of just two made, might begin with Porsche basics but beyond that all is bespoke, hand-made from an accredited long-established car manufacturer. And that, to aficionados, is what gives this eye-catching machine with its even more arresting paintwork its unique appeal. That and more than a little mechanical tweaking.
So let’s start with what’s under that spoiler-laden rear lid. Basis is Porsche’s famous flat-six engine, as fitted to every 911, bored out to 3.8-litres, and fitted with not just one but two turbochargers. Hence, of course, the Ruf’s RTurbo name. Engine modifications offer some pretty mind-bending performance statistics. How’s 640 bhp sound? Pretty good, by the look of those four exhaust pipes.
Sixty miles per hour is reached in just 2.8 seconds. Which means you’ll be faster in your 20-year-old Ruf than a brand new Lamborghini Huracán Performante. Ungoverned top speed is 215 mph, best reached on your nearest autobahn or on a track day, perhaps piloted by a professional driver. Or is that just us doubting your high speed driving skills?
Ruf thoroughly enginnered the RTurbo RT12 with mind-blowing performance in mind. Weight has been saved - over a 996 911 Porsche which of course it doesn’t resemble at all - at every possible point. Front and rear lids, doors and even bucket seat shells are all in carbon fibre.
Which brings us to the colourway. At times it’s yellow, at other times gold, lime green or light blue. It was a very early 2000s thing, and not an inexpensive option. Ruf’s paintwork experts applied the finish by hand at Ruf HQ in Pfaffenhausen, Bavaria. A similar effect, called Chromaflair, is currently a £67,000 option at Porsche, or easily the price of a second hand ordinary 911.
But we’re not talking ordinary with this - or any - Ruf. Open the door to a bespoke blue leather and bright blue and red plaid interior, also featuring Alcantara. Attention to detail is such that blue leather is even hand-stitched around the air vents, all specified by the original owner 20 years ago.
Andreas Wüest has had the car for sale at his Swiss dealership and calls it "the fastest, maddest, most incredible-looking car that could be bought” at the time. We’re not going to argue. There’s just 35,000 kilometres on the clock, so just about run in and ready for a trip to the Nurburgring.
Annoyingly there’s been an enthusiast ahead of us in the queue for the Ruf. So we couldn’t book a test drive to let you know what it’s like at unfathomable speeds. There’s not often anything like it from RUF on the market, but in case your appetite is whetted and there’s a Ruf-shaped space in your heated garage, we’d recommend putting aside at least £250,000. If you’re busy, we don’t mind doing the test run.
Next up: Meet the off-road capable Ruf Rodeo.
