Porsche Specialist Ruf Builds a 750-hp Sports Car for the Fearless

July 26, 2011 at 3:14pm by Alexander Stoklosa

German Porsche tuning firm Ruf has just updated its absolutely insane CTR 3 with what it perhaps needed least: more horsepower. Ruf is famous for extracting huge power from Porsches, but because of how heavily it modifies vehicles, it is actually a full-on manufacturer in the eyes of the German government. Like the V-8-powered RGT-8, the CTR 3 is also sure to scare the neighbors. It may look like a stretched and harder-edged Porsche Cayman, but Ruf calls it an original design. A tubular space frame is wrapped in aluminum and kevlar-composite bodywork, and the resulting welterweight coupe is powered by a mid-mounted turbocharged 3.8-liter engine from the 911.

The CTR 3 first hit the market in 2007 with “just” 691 hp and 657 lb-ft of torque from a twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter flat-six engine; the latest CTR 3 sees its output bumped up to 750 hp and 708 lb-ft of twist. The 3.8-liter’s might is routed to the rear wheels through a sequential six-speed gearbox and a limited-slip differential. The car weighs just over 3000 lbs, and its power-to-weight ratio is just 4.4 pounds per horsepower. Ruf claims that the CTR 3 can kick itself to 62 mph in just 3.2 seconds, and in just 9.6 seconds it will rocket past the 125 mph mark before charging on to an alleged top speed of 236 mph. If those numbers are accurate, that would make the CTR 3 even quicker than the Porsche 911 GT2 RS we recently tested.

The Ruf CTR 3 is a car that seems to lend itself to italicized descriptions, so it’s nice to know that drivers who explore its italics-worthy performance capabilities can rely on a racy integrated roll cage and four 14.96-inch brake discs squeezed by six-piston calipers to help save their bacon if they get in trouble. The suspension is equally racy, and features MacPherson struts in front and a pushrod setup with laydown coilovers in the rear with anti-roll bars at both ends. Aiding the cause are wide, sticky tires sized 8.5 by 19 inches in front and 12.5 by 20 inches in the rear, mounted on forged aluminum center-lock wheels. Ruf has yet to announce pricing for its refreshed CTR 3, but we imagine customers will cross-shop it with vacation homes in exotic locales.

Tags: Porsche, Porsche 911, Ruf |

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Ferrari Builds One-Off Superamerica 45 Based on the 599, It Debuts at Villa d’Este

Here to put beauty and Ferrari droptop back in the same sentence, we present the Ferrari Superamerica 45, a one-off roadster based on the 599. Ferrari’s Special Projects division has specially fabricated the roadster for a wealthy client, Peter Kalikow, an American property mogul, and the Superamerica 45 will debut at this year’s Villa d’Este Concorso d’Eleganza in Italy. Although it exposes occupants to the blue sky, the Superamerica is not a ragtop, and it doesn’t have a folding hardtop either—instead, the Superamerica has a rotating hardtop. A movable roof panel is mounted on hinge along its trailing edge, allowing it to rotate 180 degrees backwards until it lies on the rear deck. Ferrari’s last Superamerica-badged roadster, the 575M, utilized this innovative and simple roof design as well. (We should add, to Ferrari’s eternal pain, that a tiny front-wheel drive Renault, called the Wind, uses a similar system.) While the 575M’s roof used an electrochromatic glass panel, the Superamerica 45’s roof is carbon fiber.

To accommodate the roof, a carbon fiber decklid has been fashioned, with a slightly different shape than what comes on the standard 599s. Flanking the new rear deck are two “flying buttresses” that are flatter and lower than the 599GTO’s—and set wider on the body—making the 45’s roofline seem lower and sleeker. One touch we’re quite fond of is the chromed egg crate grille, an homage to classic Ferraris. The Superamerica 45's wing mirrors, A-pillars, and door handles are finished in brushed aluminum, nicely matching the machined-face five-spoke wheels with body-color inserts. The whole ensemble is set off by a bright blue paint job, with a darker blue hue covering the roof, rocker panels, rear diffuser, front spoiler, and the carbon-fiber interior trim. The blue was more than just a pretty color for Kalikow; he also owns a 1961 Ferrari 400 Superamerica in the same shade.

While we’d imagine the right number on a check would convince Ferrari’s Special Projects team to build another Superamerica 45, potential customers will probably be satisfied with the production 599 roadster, debuting at this August’s Pebble Beach show. That means two new open-top Ferraris will be introduced this summer. We can’t wait!

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