click above image for a history lesson on RUF
Ahh, the joy of YouTube. Every once in a while we come upon a jewel like this - a four-part series on the history of Ruf, perhaps the most famous of Porsche tuners. The documentary features Alois Ruf recounting the history of the company, starting with the formation of AUTO RUF in 1939 and ending with the development of the new CTR3 supercar. In between are the details of Alois' love of motorsport, the top speed testing of the Yellow Bird and CTR2, and the company's philosophy on restoration and working on customer cars. It's a full 30+ minutes of footage, but it's worth it even if you aren't a huge Porsche or Ruf fan. You can watch all four clips after the jump.
[Source: YouTube]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
LloydChiro @ Nov 5th 2007 9:21PM
Enchanting.
How can you not be a Porsche or Ruf fan after watching these videos? At least check out the vintage car porn on the first one.
jurm @ Nov 5th 2007 9:32PM
It's nice to see something like this, where the focus is on the passion for the sport. He doesn't spend his time belittling the competition, or throwing out number after number in some attempt to prove his product. No financial projections or mission statements, or tree-hugging PR lies either. Instead, it's just the pure love of the car.
And the noise from the engine at the very end of the last video gives me chills.
Brett @ Nov 6th 2007 12:29AM
I'm with jurm. I wasn't going to watch these, but I'm pretty glad I did. The whole thing is so genuine. It's great to see that this is backed by someone who has so much passion, stays involved with the company, and seems like a sincerely nice person. Great videos. I'll get my Porsche someday....
k @ Nov 6th 2007 2:05AM
those were definitely worth putting off homework for!
porschedevotee @ Nov 6th 2007 2:12AM
... no words.
meshies @ Nov 6th 2007 3:18AM
simply amazing
bgd @ Nov 6th 2007 2:42AM
Excellent find, and getting to watch it all in one spot. The vintage stuff intrigued me the most. 130 hp in a 3 main boxer four, and the way he described it.There is a shot in the 3rd vid from the top that shows the 6 cylinder shortblock... is it just me or is it indeed angled correctly? meaning 120 degree V block. Just a trick angle from the cam? or is it really insanely flat at 180?
LloydChiro @ Nov 6th 2007 10:45AM
He's talking about the Porsche 911 while the video is playing, so I assume that it is a boxer engine at 180 degrees. Are you takling about at -8:12 on the video?
meshies @ Nov 6th 2007 3:20AM
... simply amazing ...
Warren M @ Nov 6th 2007 4:24AM
I'm not sure if you've posted the same thing, but I've got a cool DVD called RUF Faszination. It's all about Yellowbird and definitely worth picking up. Still a few on eBay if you're lucky.
enok @ Nov 9th 2007 10:43AM
I met a man from Mendon, MA who had a Ruf with a drag-racing clutch that was either on or off. That's pretty hardcore.