Carving through traffic in the 590-bhp Ruf R Turbo after just 5 minutes behind the wheel it began to hit home how good this car is. A little circumspection in something this powerful and expensive is pretty normal, but it's so sure-footed, so fast and so simple to drive, a monkey would weave in and out of traffic at Daytona in no time if he could blag the entry.
This car came from the company that rocked the tuning world with its Faszination video, where Stefan Roser went so sideways in the Yellowbird CTR that he was millimetres away from starring in a snuff movie the whole way round the Nordschleife. If you've not seen it, you can order a copy by phoning the main number at Pfaffenhausen. If you even like cars a little bit then do it now.
When Alois Ruf unleashed the fwd 520-bhp R Turbo in 2001, car fanatics once again had to rescue their lower jaws from the floor as the journalists reached for the book of hackneyed superlatives. It hit 60 mph in 3.7 sec. and topped out at 212 mph, so could the 590-bhp version improve on perfection and justify an extra EUR25,000 on the price tag? Well, yes...
Ruf was never going to endanger his hard-won reputation by screwing the handling of his range-topper for the sake of a few extra horses. The car had to be just as user-friendly as the original--and significantly quicker--or it would never happen. It is, on both counts.
I turned up at the expansive Pfaffenhausen base expecting a driving lesson with designated pilot for the day Josef Lieb, but there was nothing to teach. The new R Turbo is fingertip light, pulls cleanly from just over 1000 revs in any gear and rumbles through town as gently as a drugged circus Tiger.
The only thing is that the engorged quad exhausts, which account for 20 bhp over the 520-bhp version on their own, rumble at idle like Mount Vesuvius building up to a major blowout. And pressing the accelerator feels like opening the Stargate as all four wheels claw into the road and hurl the car down the road. For the record, it roars to 60 mph in 3.5 sec. and keeps going all the way to 220 mph, twisting the concept of quick along the way.
Short-shifting is a necessity on anything other than deserted Autobahns, as above 3500 rpm the turbos kick in, the afterburners light up and the R Turbo takes off thanks to 612 lb-ft of torque coursing through its veins. Forget race tracks, to use all this power you'd need a runway.
Even more impressive than its straightline velocity is the way this car takes corners. Ruf has fitted a fully adjustable suspension kit, braces for the struts and, most importantly, a rollcage is optional. Combined with the obvious advantages of four-wheel drive, this all combines to provide mountain-goat levels of grip and complete stability under braking as the six-piston callipers slam on the discs and pull tears of joy from your eyes.
It's true skills were even more apparent when I tried to follow Josef to our designated test site in a Porsche 911 Turbo S. This car has 450 bhp and proved mighty competent on the nearby Nordschleife, but against its outwardly similar cousin it felt like attacking a helicopter gunship with a catapult.
Attempting to follow the blue car through corners led to lifted wheels, locked brake discs and prayers to the Gods of grip to keep me safe through fast sweepers. He wasn't pushing at all and still cantered into the distance.Having swapped cars it was just as disconcertingly easy for me. This car is so compliant, even when it comes to soaking up bumps, that it could serve as a track car, ballistic weekend toy and EUR226,000 daily driver with equal skill.
Having swapped cars it was just as disconcertingly easy for me. This car is so compliant, even when it comes to soaking up bumps, that it could serve as a track car, ballistic weekend toy and EUR226,000 daily driver with equal skill.Unlike the slinky-hipped 520-bhp creation that was originally based on the Carrera, the new car is built on the wide body platform and looks virtually the same as the standard Turbo. So if you didn't know how fast this car was, you wouldn't guess from looking at it.
The subtly revised rear wing generates more downforce when down at heel than my Turbo's did fully raised and Ruf uses a one-piece front spoiler with integral air intakes. More subtle aerodynamic effects include smaller wing mirrors and the triangular cooling cut-outs set high on the flanks. It's function first with Ruf, they're not really interested in cosmetic jewellery bar the 19-in. wheels and a few branded baubles on the interior.
It has KKK turbochargers, revised camshafts, a modified VarioCam system, remapped control unit, intake manifold, air filter and other items. But the only real difference between the 520-bhp and 590-bhp versions is that the more powerful car has titanium conrods, which obviously necessitate a full engine rebuild. A strengthened GT2 clutch handles the torque and Ruf has had to fit a longer sixth gear to accommodate the biblical top end speed. I never got near that, but only traffic stopped me and I'm absolutely sure it would have felt as comfortable flat out as it did everywhere else.
Lots of tuners have learnt the to force feed the 3.6-liter Porsche unit with steroids, but they all work by moving further along the axis between practicality and performance, sacrificing ease of use and comfort for speed. Ruf works on a higher plane, delivering mind-blowing performance in an almost cosy package, and therein lies the magic of the all new R Turbo.