In Los Angeles, a largely vaccinated population and reopened schools means one thing in particular: the return of rush hour. For automotive enthusiasts, the good news of emerging from quarantines and lockdowns comes mixed with the fun of returning to old cars and coffee meeting spots, though the daily grind does seem even worse than usual.
Meanwhile, the Petersen Automotive Museum is back up and running, almost in full swing (albeit with masks and safety protocols in place). I recently visited the Petersen to check out the first public unveiling of the new Tesla Roadster, which promises to push the EV market into new territory (if Elon Musk can hammer it through to production as quickly as he promises).
While I was there, I also popped down into the Petersen's famous Vault to check out a newly opened gallery entitled "Pfaffenhausen Speed Shop" featuring a handful of Ruf-modified Porsches on display in partnership with the air-cooled event organizer Luftgekühlt. With little in the way of warning, all of a sudden I found myself alone in a quiet room surrounded by some of the most recognizable titans of Ruf's long history.
Starting And Ending With The Yellowbird
Of course, the car that put Ruf on the global map is the CTR, commonly known as the "Yellowbird" and most famously piloted by Stefan Roser with plenty of tire squeal and opposite-lock in "Faszination on the Nürburgring." If you haven't seen it, stop now and go watch as the grainy footage as Ruf's twin-turbocharged version of the 911 Carrera 3.2 sings around the world's most dangerous circuit, nary a helmet or fire suit in sight.
In terms of stats, the CTR's twin-turbo flat-six pumped out 463 horsepower (a conservative figure) and 408 lb-ft of torque, all the way back in 1987 and in a rear-wheel-drive car that weighed only 2,535 pounds. No all-wheel drive, as would become standard later on Porsche's Turbo models, but it did use a custom Ruf-built five-speed, plus upgraded suspension, brakes, and the iconic Speedline alloy wheels. All told, Ruf's upgrades made the Yellowbird the fastest production car in the world with a top speed of 213 miles per hour.
The CTR3 Clubsport: Half Boxster, Half 911, Half Le Mans Racecar
They say never to meet your heroes but I'd already seen a Yellowbird up close and personal a couple years back at the official Luftgekühlt event. Still, I found myself pretty amped to get back in touch with the famous yellow car, with its tea-tray spoiler and little other than a roll cage pointing to the absurd performance housed in such a tiny Porsche body.
Flying under the radar, so to speak, remains one of the Yellowbird's greatest feats—what percentage of the general public would recognize it as anything other than just another air-cooled Porsche stuck in traffic on the streets of LA?
On the other hand, the other big star of the Petersen's show looks absolutely nothing like a regular Porsche, even if Stuttgart's DNA manages to shine through regardless. Half 911, half Cayman, half Le Mans racer, the CTR3 Clubsport features a mid-engined layout in a body fully designed by Ruf. This 2012 example should crank out 766 horsepower and 723 lb-ft of torque, allowing for a top speed estimated at 236 miles per hour. It would be hard to imagine whether the Yellowbird or a one-of-seven CTR3 Clubsport would fetch more money on the auction block.
Ruf Interiors Prove Themselves Highly Attractive
Ruf doesn't just crank out power-focused and modded engine jobs, however, as the firm also updates and customizes interiors for clients, as well. As one member of the Petersen staff told me, apparently the privacy afforded by the curtained-off gallery down in the Vault inspired one eager guest to simply reach in through an open window, unlock the CTR3 Clubsport, and climb right in.
Unfortunately, that means all the windows are now fully rolled up and the doors locked, so the only interior on display comes courtesy of the Porsche 993-based Ruf Turbo R Cabriolet above, with the simple ergonomics of Porsche and a few details like the red piping visible.
The Not-So-Distinct Eras Of Porsche And Ruf
Ruf's use of years on its cars tends to baffle the mind of Porsche enthusiasts, who are used to defining and splitting up the various 911 models by their internal nomenclature. Take the 964-based RCT EVO Widebody above, in contrast to the CTR3 Clubsport: air-cooled era versus water-cooled era, completely unique bodywork compared to little in the way of external identification other than the wheels (once again), classic enormous intercooler-housing spoiler contrasted to a roof duct. Both of these cars are incredibly special and the Petersen's new exhibit allows guests to wander across the decades from one to the other in just a few steps. But Ruf's work on the 964 apparently took place well after the car actually left the factory, when the 993 was being sold at Porsche dealerships.
Water-Cooling Is So Much Better
After Porsche moved on to water-cooled engines for the 986 and 996, Ruf still employed earlier body styles. Of course, while Porsche purists tend to prize their air-cooled cars so much that values have become prohibitively absurd, the truth is that water cooling allowed the iconic flat-sixes to produce more power more efficiently and reliably, all from a lighter engine with a lower center of gravity.
The through line from 964 to 993 to CTR3 and Ruf RCT all seems somewhat hard to follow—unfortunately, the show includes very little in the way of actual information about the cars. A docent-guided or audio tour may allow for more in-depth exploration, since no placards had yet been installed at the time of my visit.
Truly Some Of The Ultimate Porsches
Whether they're Rufs or Porsches—or both—the Pfaffenhausen Speed Shop show truly houses some of the ultimate cars ever to blur the lines between manufacturer and aftermarket constructor. It's hard to imagine where, outside of Ruf's headquarters, another collection of this magnitude will ever allow access to the average fan of both companies.
The Petersen and Luftgekühlt also plan to open another exhibition later this summer on August 15, 2021, with a focus on the Porsche 956 and 962 racecars. In the meantime, anyone who grew up watching "Faszination on the Nürburgring" or playing Gran Turismo should head over to the Petersen ASAP and swing through the supercars, off-roaders, and Tesla Roadsters upstairs before heading down into the vault for a Ruf gallery unlike any other.
Sources: petersen.org, ruf-automobile.de, luftgekuhlt.com, and instagram.com.