Quote:
Originally Posted by javadog
That's not entirely accurate, although that's the impression we got from reading articles in the media about their cars back in the 80's and 90's. They used bodies that already had Porsche VIN numbers and crossed those numbers out, then re-stamped a new number adjacent to it.
They do make a complete car now that is all their own. The rest start out as Porsches.
JR
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Well, I'd say
that's not entirely accurate.
Ruf has been a certified auto manufacturer for 30+ years, and a US import-approved manufacturer for almost as long.
I think there is a lot of confusion due to the fact that there are different
types of Ruf cars that are/were available:
1. Original Ruf production cars. These start from a bare "body in white" from Porsche, with no VIN.
So, while the Ruf production cars are built on bare Porsche chassis', they don't
really "start out as Porsches" as they were never fully-built, Porsche VIN'd autos.
2. Conversion cars. These are factory Porsche cars that are converted to Ruf models/specs (supplied by customer cars, or directly from Porsche as "used" cars).
Depending on the circumstances, I think this is where you may see the "crossed out" VIN as you mentioned.
AFAIK, German (TUV?) regulations specify that if a car's modification exceeds a certain level, it must get a new number.
So, depending on the level of modification, and perhaps the car's destination/origin, I would imagine you would see Ruf VINs on previously Porsche VIN'd cars.
Seeing as there are far more conversions than original Ruf VIN cars, it makes sense that some would think that's the
only way they are/were "created".
3. Tuner cars. These are factory Porsche cars that are tuned/upgraded (typically bolt-on stuff) but still retain a majority of factory parts, and keep the original Porsche VIN.
At least, that is my understanding of it.
