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Just as AMG is synonymous with early tuned Mercedes-Benz models, Ruf seems to be inseparable from the Porsche 930. It’s almost cliche to upgrade the 911 Turbo to Ruf specs; but they’re the go-to tuner for all things air-cooled. But for every Yellowbird that an enthusiast wishes they had created, there are many more pretenders that bolt on some Ruf parts and claim they’re Ruf-converted cars. Does that make them more valuable? Probably not, in general – faster, yes, but as we saw with last week’s 1979 930, although well executed more people are looking for either real Ruf cars or all-original examples. Today I have another two “Ruf” cars to face off – which wears the mods better and which is a better deal?
For all of the crazy tuner modified cars of the 1980s, there were very few that came out the other side looking better than what the factory produced. However, I think two tuners consistently managed to outperform what came directly from the manufacturer. Alpina is one; the subtle spoilers, large but somehow fitting stripes and perfect wheels always make those models modified by the exclusive tuner really stand out. The second for me is Ruf; it’s simply amazing what just a set of Ruf Speedline wheels can do. It is literally as if the 930 shape was made specifically to match those wheels – not the other way around. You can add in the other Ruf bits, ducts and pieces and really make a masterpiece; but the wheels almost make the car special all by themselves. Of course, if you happen to have a bunch of other period-awesome modifications from top companies, that doesn’t hurt either:
The wild Guards Red 1985 Andial-modified Porsche 930 3.5 turbo is back up for sale, this time with a $5,000 lowered “Buy It Now” to one penny short of $85,000. That price is still pretty steep for a older heavily modified example, but this is a pretty neat and rare bit of Porsche Motorsports history. What would you pay?
The below post originally appeared on our site August 12, 2014:
When it comes to 1980s Porsche tuners, the immediate name that pops into enthusiasts’ minds is Ruf. And for road cars, certainly the Yellowbird set the tone for performance tuned cars and remains legendary today. In the shadows of Ruf’s imposing figure, though, were smaller firms such as Andial. Andial worked in tandem with Porsche Motorsports to run many of the customer racing program cars such as the 935, 956 and 962. This gave them some serious credentials and notoriety for building impressive cars. Some of those Andial-built motors ended up in road-going Porsches, such as this 3.5 liter converted 930:
Oh, where do we start here? You shouldn’t be surprised that Sir Mix-A-Lot has a wide body, huge bespoilered Porsche 911 Turbo that’s purple; after all, he did tell you he “likes big butts”, and this Porsche’s got back. Rap stars from the 1990s really moved into a new realm of bling; West Coast saw the destruction through twist-and-bounce of countless classic 1960s cars, but rappers like Sir Mix-A-Lot moved into new territory, taking brand new “whips” and modifying them. But the self-proclaimed “Mack Daddy”‘s modern-day pimp style didn’t follow traditional trends of giant America sleds with fuzzy dice; the Sir liked European metal – including this turned up 911 Turbo Convertible Slantnose:
