THE MOTORCAR OFFERED

This Porsche was purchased new in 1984 from a dealer in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, sporting paint-to-sample Tornado Red from Audi's catalog. Upon delivery, the new owner/collector immediately desired to increase the performance of his 911 and soon called upon Tore Johnson, the U.S. RUF importer and builder in Long Beach, California, to upgrade this new Carrera 3.2 to RUF BTR specification. A thoroughly comprehensive project, the car's mechanicals were overhauled as follows: Engine displacement increased to 3.4-liters, conversion to twin-plug ignition, installation of a turbocharger, quad-pipe exhaust system, RUF 5-speed manual transmission, Recaro leather seats, RUF instrument clusters and steering wheel, Simpson race harness, and RUF 5-spoke 17-inch alloy wheels.

The vision for this build didn't simply end with power upgrades from RUF, however. When the car left the US based RUF workshop, it was sent to Alan Johnson Racing in San Diego. Well known for his competition focused Porsche builds and racing program, Johnson was contracted to craft an alloy body for the BTR inspired by the Porsche 935. In the hands of Alan Johnson Racing, the BTR received full custom coachwork finished in red; paintwork which still appears on the car today.

With nearly 400HP and a body resembling a 935 LeMans racer, this Carrera is a far cry away from its original delivery specifications. Once completed, the car rolled 2,000 miles on the odometer showing at events and mildly being used at track days around Illinois and Wisconsin. Identified as the RUF RSR, the car would be road tested and recognized in the book The World's Fastest Cars in 1989. Shortly after the build was completed, the owner of this Porsche would become the U.S. distributor for RUF parts and components.

With direct access to RUF, this project remained at the leading edge of RUF Automobile RmbH's innovations. Upon the introduction of the company's new 3.5L motor, it was decided that the old 3.4L unit would be pulled out after only powering the car for 2,000 miles. The search for ever increasing power outputs comes with its own gambles unfortunately. Upon the new platform's first track outing, the engine failed, and the car was left immobile. The project remained dormant from this point on, sitting for over 20 years.

In 2015, the car was purchased by the current owner, who was eager to continue the legacy of this fabulous Porsche and return the car back to running order. Being an Illinois resident, today's seller put the RUF RSR in the hands of Perfect Power, a shop widely known in the Porsche community for their history of high performance road cars and successful racing efforts. Although many of the original engine parts for the car are still present, including the crank case, it was decided that the project would be best served by sourcing an entirely new engine. As such, a twin-turbo 3.8L engine built by Protomotive found its new home in the back of the 911 mated to RUF's later 6-speed transmission. This fire breathing motor now puts out over 700BHP to the wheels at full boost. The staggering power output provides insane performance on track while remaining reliable and usable for regular road use. The proven success of this RUF RSR was exemplified in a cross-country drive from Chicago to Los Angeles for the Luftgekuhlt Porsche show in 2017 where the car made the trip effortlessly.

Today, this imaginative project presents magnificently, with the chassis having covered less than 10,000 miles since its delivery in 1984. The custom alloy body and paint work remain untouched since being modified by Alan Johnson Racing and the interior still wears its RUF gauge cluster. The car also comes with its original, numbers matching crank case and other miscellaneous engine parts from its progression from a 3.2L to 3.4L and then 3.5L engine.

The RUF RSR has been in constant development since new to become the highly developed and powerful road car that it is today. Early RUFs are eminently hard to come by, and this one-off example offers a chance to own a part of the company's early development history.