Ruf describes the compressor used as a mechanical turbocharger that uses a planetary gearbox to spin up to 100,000 rpm to make boost. Unlike a Roots blower, it has a liner power curve that Ruf says "feels like a 5.0-liter normally aspirated engine."
Besides the compressor with maximum boost of 0.7 bar, RUF adds its own design intake manifolds with integrated intercooler, injectors, sport catalytic converters, and electronic engine management system to get 440 bhp at 7000 rpm and 347 lb-ft of torque at 5500 rpm to move the RKcoupe from zero to 62 mph in 4.3 seconds. Top speed is 190 mph.
Ruf has promised us a test drive in the near future and we can't wait for our chance to see if he can catch up to us.
Ruf Rk Coupe *LayoutLongitudinal mid-engine, rear-wheel drive
*Engine3.8-liter flat six, dohc, four valves per cylinder, supercharged and intercooled
*TransmissionSix-speed manual
*Wheels and TiresThree-piece forged aluminum, 19-inch Dunlop SP Sport Maxx, 235/35-19 (f)275/35-19 (r)
*PerformancePeak Power: 440 bhp @ 7000 rpmPeak Torque: 347 lb-ft @ 5500 rpm0-62 mph: 4.3 sec.Top Speed: 190 mph
*BrakesF: Brembo six-piston calipers,13.8-inch rotorsR: Brembo four-piston calipers, 11.8-inch rotors
Ruf*Located in the quaint rural hamlet of Pfaffenhausen, about an hour's drive southeast of Porsche's headquarters in Stuttgart, RUF Automobile GmbH has been serving up a menu of ultra-high-performance Porsches since 1975 when Alois Ruf, Jr., modified his 911 Carrera RS 3.0. It was one year after he inherited the business that Alois Ruf, Sr., had started in 1939 as a general auto repair shop. The company's breakout vehicle, however, was the now legendary 1987 Yellowbird CTR that was the first street car to reliably crack the 200-mph barrier (top speed of 211 mph) in a well documented series of high-speed showdowns with exotic car manufacturers such as Ferrari and Lamborghini.
RUF Automobile is more than a hot rod Porsche tuner shop. Although the company does design, distribute, and install its own aftermarket Porsche performance products around the world, it has been certified as an automobile manufacturer in Germany since 1981 and by the U.S. authorities since 1987. RUF has 65 employees and the capacity to build about 35 cars a year using bare bone "bodies in white" chassis sent directly from the factory sans Porsche serial numbers. As a manufacturer, RUF applies its own serial numbers to each completed car. In March 2006, RUF began construction of a manufacturing facility in Bahrain that will allow easier service and delivery of vehicles to the Middle and Far East.