The forgotten story of the Ruf BTR, the first production car to reach 300 km/h, before any Porsche or Ferrari

The name Ruf is known nowadays among Porsche enthusiasts, or simply car enthusiasts, but it still remains a niche manufacturer, with a relatively small number of cars produced. Officially, Ruf qualifies as a car manufacturer, just like Alpina, for example, and the cars, even if they are developed based on Porsche models, are considered production vehicles and have the Ruf badge on them. Well, almost 40 years ago a Ruf creation was the first to reach 300 km/h!

In 1963, a mechanic named Alois Ruf was driving a modified bus, which he had built with his own hands, when he was overtaken by a Porsche 356, which then lost control and ended up in the ditch. Alois got down and helped the Porsche driver to the hospital, and later bought that damaged Porsche, which he repaired in a few days, improving it according to his skill. After a year of enjoying the car, he and his son were in Munich with it, when a stranger came up to them and told them he loved their car and offered to buy it on the spot. The two accepted, and in a few minutes they were standing with a suitcase and pockets full of money, but without a car. From that moment, the two understood that they could create beautiful things from Porsches, which would be in demand. Thus Ruf was born.

Photo: The damaged Porsche, from which the history of Ruf began

The company quickly began to develop refinements and versions of Porsche models and gained a reputation for being able to perfect all the engineering components of the models from the Stuttgart brand. Suspension, engine, body — if you wanted consistent, skillful modifications without exhibitionism, Ruf was the name to call.

The real engineering revelation, however, was the Ruf BTR, the model we are talking about today and which was launched in 1983. It was also the first Ruf model with its own VIN code, after the company had been officially recognized as a manufacturer in Germany. The Ruf BTR was based on the Porsche 930, the name used at the time for the turbocharged version of the 911.

The original 3.3-liter 6-cylinder boxer engine was modified, receiving a Ruf intercooler, a new exhaust system, modified pistons and new camshafts. The displacement increased slightly, to 3.4 liters, but the power had increased mostly due to the higher revs, the intercooler and the readjustment of the turbo. As a result, the engine became capable of delivering 374 hp and 480 Nm! For a 1,200-1,300 kg car, it was phenomenal power!

In 1984, the American publication Road and Track conducted a big test with powerful models, and the Ruf BTR was the big surprise! In a test that featured the likes of the Lamborghini Countach, BMW M635CSi, Aston Martin Vantage, Ferrari BB512, Jaguar XJ-S HE and even the factory Porsche 930, the Ruf BTR blew them all away, scoring 306.4 km/h (190.4 mph), about 30 km/h (18.6 mph) more than any other model on the list!

Photo: A part of the magazine cover, announcing the record

On that day in 1984, the Ruf BTR became the first car, qualified as a series model, which exceeded 300 km/h, for which the journalists from Road and Track offered it the title of the fastest car in the world. The result and the title were quickly disputed, however. Although the journalists had the experience of exact measurements and had done everything under controlled conditions, no official referee or representative of the Guiness record book had been present on the spot to approve everything. And besides that, many believed, especially those from Ferrari, that a Ruf BTR could not qualify as a production vehicle, as long as it was, de facto, a tuning workshop. This motivated Ferrari to make the 288 GTO capable of reaching 300 km/h, but in 1984 the 288 GTO "only" reached 304 km/h. With the rigorous approvals and homologation of its achievement, tough.

The people from Ruf did not let themselves be waited for in response and later created another legendary car, but about it - in another article. It is certain that this record, although somewhat unofficial for some, remained in the hearts of enthusiasts as the real first car that exceeded 300 km/h. Fewer than 30 RUF BTRs were produced from scratch, plus a larger number that were reconfigured based on customer Porsches.

Photo: This is the very Ruf BTR that participated in the famous test and reached over 300 km/h in 1984.