RUF BTR takes centre stage at Historics Ascot Auction
Historics Auctioneers contacted us with details of a star-studded line--up of classic Porsches due to go under the hammer at the firm’s Ascot Racecourse auction on Saturday 25th September. There’s a 1986 Carrera 3.2 Supersport (lower estimate £85k), two 1989 928 S4 (one offered without reserve, the other with a lower estimate of £25k), a 1996 993 Cabriolet (£45k) and a 2001 986 Boxster S loaded with Tiptronic transmission (another lot without reserve), but the Porsche bound to generate most interest at the sale is the classic 911 Turbo (930) upgraded to RUF BTR specification using original RUF parts.
Those that know Porsche, know RUF. Headed by Alois Ruf Jr, the company takes the blueprints for already formidable driving machines and turns them into psychotic hooligans, usually using blank ‘bodies in white’ Porsche chassis to create its own cars (RUF is recognised as a standalone manufacturer in Germany). Historically, the Pfaffenhausen concern has offered conversion kits to owners of factory Porsches, and though the company was founded as a general service garage by Alois’ father in 1939, vehicle production began in earnest in 1983 with the first car to bear a RUF chassis number: a 3.4-litre 911 Turbo-based model pushing out 369bhp through a RUF developed five-speed manual gearbox. It wasn’t just about raw power, though. Twin-spark ignition, bespoke harnesses, seats and steering wheel formed part of the package, cloaked in bespoke RUF BTR (standing for ) bodywork.
The early left-hand drive RUF BTR pictured here is powered by the RUF 3.4-litre flat-six (but with single-plug ignition) and is believed to be one of between seventy and eighty BTRs bearing an original Porsche chassis number. First registered in 1979 as a standard 930, the car was significantly upgraded to BTR specification by the then authorised RUF importer to Japan, Ishida Engineering, in 1985. To confirm as much, Alois Ruf Jr’s team has supplied a letter confirming the originality of all RUF parts and modifications used to transform the car into what you see here. Finished in Grand Prix White, the car makes use of a RUF five-speed gearbox, staggered Speedline seventeen-inch forged five-spokes, a RUF quadtailpipe exhaust, a RUF manual boost controller, a full RUF body kit (front bumper with integrated oil cooler, a vented rear bumper, deeper side skirts and bespoke engine lid), 935-style door mirrors, a RUF embossed steering wheel and matching gear lever, a RUF-badged instrument cluster, RUF lightweight floor carpets, RUF-specified twin-tone Recaro bucket seats, custom harnesses and an Ishida Engineering build plaque attached to the glovebox.
A Certificate of Authenticity from Porsche outlines stock specification, with documentation from RUF highlighting all modifications. Registered for road use in the UK, recently serviced and with a full twelve-month MOT, this purposeful RUF is excellent as is, or as a starting point to further develop into a 911 capable of embarrassing much newer sports cars. The lower estimate is £85k. Visit historics.co.uk for further information.
Just before we went to print with this issue of Classic Porsche, Historics Auctioneers contacted us with details of a star-studded line-up of classic Porsches due to go under the hammer at the firm’s Ascot Racecourse auction on Saturday 25th September. There’s a 1986 Carrera 3.2 Supersport (lower estimate £85k), two 1989 928 S4 (one offered without reserve, the other with a lower estimate of £25k), a 1996 993 Cabriolet (£45k) and a 2001 986 Boxster S loaded with Tiptronic transmission (another lot without reserve), but the Porsche bound to generate most interest at the sale is the classic 911 Turbo (930) upgraded to RUF BTR specification using original RUF parts.
Those that know Porsche, know RUF. Headed by Alois Ruf Jr, the company takes the blueprints for already formidable driving machines and turns them into psychotic hooligans, usually using blank ‘bodies in white’ Porsche chassis to create its own cars (RUF is recognised as a standalone manufacturer in Germany). Historically, the Pfaffenhausen concern has offered conversion kits to owners of factory Porsches, and though the company was founded as a general service garage by Alois’ father in 1939, vehicle production began in earnest in 1983 with the first car to bear a RUF chassis number: a 3.4-litre 911 Turbo-based model pushing out 369bhp through a RUF developed five-speed manual gearbox. It wasn’t just about raw power, though. Twin-spark ignition, bespoke harnesses, seats and steering wheel formed part of the package, cloaked in bespoke RUF BTR (the nameplate standing for Group B Turbo RUF) bodywork.
The early left-hand drive RUF BTR pictured here is powered by the RUF 3.4-litre flat-six (with single-plug ignition) and is believed to be one of between seventy and eighty BTRs bearing an original Porsche chassis number. First registered in 1979 as a standard 930, the car was significantly upgraded to BTR specification by the then authorised RUF importer to Japan, Ishida Engineering, in 1985.
To confirm as much, Alois Ruf Jr’s team has supplied official RUF correspondence confirming the originality of all RUF parts and modifications used to transform the car into what you see here. Finished in Grand Prix White, it makes use of a RUF five-speed gearbox, staggered Speedline seventeen-inch forged five-spokes (with painted red centres), a RUF quad-tailpipe exhaust, a RUF manually adjustable boost controller, a full RUF body kit (front bumper with integrated oil cooler, a vented rear bumper, deeper side skirts and bespoke engine lid), 935-style door mirrors, a RUF embossed steering wheel and matching gear lever, a RUF-badged instrument cluster, RUF lightweight floor carpets, RUF-specified twin-tone Recaro bucket seats, custom safety harnesses and an Ishida Engineering build plaque attached to the glovebox.
A Certificate of Authenticity from Porsche outlines the car’s original specification, with further documentation from Alois Ruf Jr’s team highlighting all modifications. Registered for road use in the UK, recently serviced and with a full twelve-month MoT, this purposeful RUF is excellent as is, or as a starting point to further develop into a 911 capable of embarrassing much newer sports cars. The lower estimate is £85k. Visit the Historics Auctioneers website at historics.co.uk.
In recent years, RUF owners have been discovering one another like never before, helped by the efforts of RUF Automobile UK in bringing like-minded fans of the brand together at popular Porsche shows. Want to register your interest? Hit rufautomobile.co.uk and make contact.