Questions about RUF
 

I would love a little history on what a RUF 911 is? My understanding is it is a company that takes stock 911s and modified them to increase performance. Is this something you could have done to your car after purchase? I am going to look at a 78 911sc that is said to be a RUF car. Is there anyway to tel if it really is?

Thanks

Check out the documentary on Ruf on Youtube....it's a very cool story. Cheers

Here is some reading & videos for you:

Pelican Parts Technical BBS - Search Results

RUF does modification of existing cars and they also are a manufacturer of their own cars, almost all of which are built on modified Porsche chassis. The cars they build do not have Porsche VINs. They are RUF and there is a difference.

Try emailing them with your VIN and see if they have records on your car. Their email is info@ruf-automobile.de. They are very responsive for as busy as they are so you should hear back from them next week.

Ruf did everything from aftermarket body kits, big brake upgrades, strut braces etc. to a twin-turbo conversion based on the 3.2 and a very special gearbox to match, to modifications to order/specification (including flying techs from Europe to do the work at your shop), or brand new cars built up from a bare, "white-body" shell with a Ruf-assigned VIN.

So it could be literally anything; but the asking price is probably a clue of what you're going to look at, unless the current owner either bought it as a seizure at auction and just doesn't know, or is delusional as to value.

If it's priced like an SC, chances are probably high that it's an SC with some body parts (possibly even replica Ruf parts, rather than the genuine article), maybe Ruf wheels and/or a few items with a Ruf logo on them, like floor mats...

But you never know :)

If it is a actual Ruf would it be titled as a Ruf? What kind of documents should I be looking for? He did say it had a bored out 3.2 engine which I thought maybe he was confused since a 78 should have a 3.0.

Any tips on what I should look for greatly appreciated.

Contrary to what has been written, I think you'll find that all Ruf cars from that era were modified Porsche production cars. The ones with a Ruf VIN seemed to have been bought by Ruf, disassembled and rebuilt as a "Ruf". You'll still see the original Porsche VIN in the trunk and it will have been marked through with a line. The difference between a "RUF" VIN car and a "converted" car seems to be that RUF bought his cars before they were sold to a retail customer.

Ruf had a conversion based upon the SC but it was mostly just a modifed engine. Most of the "Ruf" parts came later. Just have a close look at the car and take a lot of detailed photos. Ask to see any paperwork that the seller has in his posesion.

JR

RUF became a licensed manufacturer of of cars in 1981. The RUF VINed cars do not have a Porsche VIN. They may have the hidden Porsche production number but that is a different story.

RUF has always done a big business in modifying customer's cars to RUF specifications or to any spec the customer requests. When I visited there in 2005 in addition to RT12s and a prototype Cayman conversion, they had a 73 tub being stripped to make an RSR clone, a 60s Mercedes 4 door that was carefully being disassembled with the parts spread across a huge room (kind of looked like a huge exploded view) and even an E type Jaguar being built new from brand new hand bucked panels from England.

They do anything that a customer will pay for and they pretty much do it perfectly. Seeing that the car doesn't have a RUF VIN it isn't "100% RUF" but who knows how much of their modifications have made it into the car. RUF may have just serviced the car, as normal maintenance is just one of the services they offer.

Your car's relationship with RUF could be anything. Even if it only had a documented record of them doing the scheduled service on the car that could help the value of the car. (They really are out in the country so I suspect the odds are low...) Send them a message and see what they say. They really take the time to talk to anyone. It is obvious that they have kept the business a labor of love.

There is no car from the 911SC era that has a RUF VIN. RUF VINs did not come along until the later '80s with the CTR, BTR and CR.

RUF did build a 911SC-based SCR in the late '70s and early '80s, basically a 911SC with short-stroke 3.2 and other RUF mods (suspension, cooling upgrade, etc.), but these cars maintained their Porsche VIN number.

I would ask for documentation of any and all claimed RUF mods / work done to the car. Without that, you can only ascertain if the parts are in-fact genuine RUF items, then it just comes down to how much they are worth to you.

I maintain a RUF Registry at RUF Registry | Where RUF Fans Unwind and am constantly adding cars. Feel free to check it out and you can also like us on facebook at www.facebook.com/RUFRegistry for regular updates when I add content to the site.

I used to think that, too. It was the accepted wisdom, learned from reading books about these cars. Then, a friend of mine bought a RUf BTR. In checking out that car, we also looked at other cars with a RUf VIN. Same story, they were originally built as a regular 930 with a Porsche serial number. You might want to have a closer look at this yourself. You may come to the same conclusions that I did.

It doesn't really matter in this case, anyway. If this car is a Ruf SCR, it will have few modifications by Ruf. 98mm 9.8:1 pistons and cylinders, a different exhaust, a few revisions to the injection and maybe Ruf fiberglass front and rear spoilers.

JR