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I have to admit, I really don’t get fast convertibles. You could argue that the top down lets you hear the roar of the exhaust, I suppose. Or you could suggest that the faster the acceleration and higher the top speed, the more alive you feel as the wind rushes through your hair. It’s not that I don’t think certain fast convertibles aren’t attractive, mind you, or appealing in their own way. And some modern convertibles are downright amazing in their ability to channel the blowing atmosphere away from you. But in all honesty, once you’re above highway speeds, the expensive radio and million plus horsepower are lost upon me, obscured in a veil of churning oxygen, nitrogen, and other trace elements. Perhaps I’m in the minority and it could have to do with the not-always awesome New England weather, but I’d prefer a sunroof coupe in most applications – with some notable vintage exceptions like pre-War cars and Pagoda SLs. Of course, I suppose if you argued that you weren’t going to break the speed limit (okay, but not by much…) or head to the track, then the convertible arrangement offers you plenty of speed in for your driving pleasure and the thrill of the open-air experience. Want to know what it felt like to be the Red Baron, for example? This Ruf BTR3 Cabriolet could sure help:
One of the great things about this blog is that we keep a pretty good inventory of rare cars written up, so that when one looks familiar we can go back and check it out. This doesn’t always work, as occasionally we forget that we’ve written one up, such as the S6 Avant I managed to write up twice. However, both of today’s tuner cars appeared on these pages before in one form or another, and I managed to track both down. Later we’ll look at an Alpina B11 3.5 that was seen here five years ago, but with 332 made it was still a bit surprising that the same one popped up for sale. When it came to today’s Ruf BTR Slantnose – one of only five made – I was sure we’d seen it before, and I was somewhat right…
The 993 market is red hot right now, and few cars stir the emotions of enthusiasts quite like the Turbo models. Of course, this car wasn’t originally a Turbo, but the nameplate on the front and rear more than makes up for that shortcoming – it is the 1995 Ruf BTR press car for the U.S.. Converted originally by Ruf Auto Center, this car has continually risen in price over the past few years. Since November, it has moved from Texas and it’s original $129,000 asking price to Missouri – an expensive move, apparently, since the asking price is now $149,888. Now, I haven’t shipped a car between states, but knowing some people that have (and the type of cars they ship…) I’m pretty certain that’s not a $21,000 trip. It equates to $29 a mile, if you’re counting. Does $150,000 sound like too much for a non-original, but documented history converted Ruf car?
The below post originally appeared on our site November 25, 2014:
The RUF BTR we recently featured is still up for auction, this time with the starting bid placed in more reasonable territory at $69,900. As noted below there are details needing some attention, particularly with regard to the engine, but as this seller continues to seek out a buyer, and the price perhaps creeps ever lower, an interested party willing to put the time in may come away with a fantastic performance machine. It’ll never have the value of a fully stock RUF built BTR, but it should still be capable of providing its owner a significant amount joy.
The below post originally appeared on our site January 23, 2015:
In the world of Porsche tuners, Ruf may be the name that is most hallowed. The company made its name long ago by taking cars with already excellent performance and turning everything up, in some cases way up. While they have begun to branch out their early work began with the 911 and here we have the model that began the madness: the Ruf BTR. Using Porsche’s already prodigiously powered 930, Ruf bored the engine to raise displacement to 3.4 liters and then raised the turbo pressure to increase output to 374 hp. But these were never intended to be cars simply producing more power. The braking and suspension setups were improved, aerodynamic aids fitted, and the interior outfitted to meet a customer’s specifications. All together you had a car instantly recognizable as a 911, but with enough visual cues to make clear it was not any old model. These were special. The example here is a 1986 Ruf BTR II, located in Ohio, with 67,200 miles on it.
