Tested: 1997 Ruf Porsche 993BTR Is a Rolling Showcase
From the May 1997 issue of Car and Driver.
At first glance, tuning Porsches for more power and performance might seem like sending Tiger Woods to golf school for a few pointers. Porsches are not, after all, machines lacking in agility or speed. A 911 Turbo, in fact, won our last five-vehicle supercar comparison test. The few speed junkies unsatisfied by this brutally fast, sophisticated exotic should probably seek out a different fix.
That doesn't mean the Stuttgart automaker has all the answers for every customer. Proof of that is Ruf Automobile GmbH, the aftermarket Porsche tuner. In Europe, Ruf is to Porsche what Lingenfelter is to Corvettes on this side of the Atlantic: a well-known purveyor of legal, reliable, and often indomitable speed. Ruf, however, doesn't stop with engines. Its catalog covers a spectrum of Porsche modifications from aero aids to brake packages to new transmissions, some with automatic clutches.
In the U.S., though, Ruf remains somewhat obscure, even to Porsche owners. Floridian Lou Foubare owns the Ruf Performance Haus, the company's U.S. distribution arm. Foubare hopes cars like this Ruf 993BTR will increase awareness here of Ruf's performance wizardry.
The BTR is a showcase of parts Ruf sells for the current 911, known inside Porsche as the 993. Its centerpiece is a single-turbo engine-conversion kit for the two-wheel-drive Carrera 2. It includes an intercooler, new camshafts, a freer-flowing catalyst-equipped exhaust system, and higher-flowing fuel injectors regulated by a revised Bosch Motronic engine controller, and a new engine-wiring harness. An extra oil cooler fits behind slots carefully cut into the front bumper, and a whale tail is included to house the intercooler. Machined factory Mahle pistons reduce the 3.6-liter flat-six's compression ratio from 11.3:1 to 8.4:1, helping to prevent meltdown from the single KKK turbo's 11.6 psi of boost.
The result—a gut-busting 420 horsepower at 5700 rpm, 420 pound-feet of torque at 4800 rpm—demands a wallet-busting $29,900 sacrifice from your bank account. That includes all the custom hoses, brackets, and bits for the installation, but it does not include the 60 hours of labor required to install the kit. At a shop Foubare recommends—Gulf Performance Center in Pompano Beach—the charge for that is about $3000.
With this engine, Ruf also requires the installation of a $2590 suspension kit, which includes springs and Boge shocks that lower the body by 30 millimeters, a solid aluminum-billet front shock-tower brace, and anti-roll bars twice as stiff as the stock ones. The goal is to make sure the 993's chassis can cope with the newfound power.
Oh, one last thing. The stock Carrera 2's rear 245/45ZR-16 tires aren't quite up to the task of an additional 138 horsepower, so Ruf requires 18-inch rubber. It sells a set of jaunty Ruf 18-inch alloy wheels made by Speedline for $2390. Figure another $1250 for the four Michelin Pilot SXs (235/40ZR-18s on the front, 285/35ZR-18s in back) our test car had.
Add it up, and for $106,065 you get a two-wheel-drive 911 with slightly more power than the four-wheel-drive 911 Turbo priced at $114,293. The 993BTR's acceleration is virtually identical as well—0 to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds (same as the Turbo), the quarter-mile in 12.2 seconds at 115 mph (0.1 second faster than the Turbo), 150 mph in 26.2 seconds (0.1 second slower). Considering that the 993BTR manages that thrust with just two-wheel drive, Ruf's power claims are certainly plausible.
So, why buy the Ruf? Well, it has a very different feel than the factory Turbo. We were unable to test the 993BTR for cornering grip, but understeer is clearly reduced. The tail is much more willing to steer the car under power, too. Above 120 mph, where the Turbo's tail starts bouncing around somewhat, the Ruf feels more buttoned-down and secure.
Then there's the Ruf's power, which comes on with an exhilarating surge at 3500 rpm, compared with the more subtle thrust of the factory Turbo. Boost lag is brief and inoffensive, and it makes planning for curves an amusing diversion.
Ruf warrants its parts for one year. Given the 20 years Ruf has been modifying Porsches, we doubt you'll need such protection if the stuff is installed right.
Ruf RCT
What to do when you just can't part with 'ol reliable.
If you like your older Porsche but want to go faster, consider Ruf before you trade in ol' reliable. Ruf does more business in parts for older Porsches than it does for current cars. We were able to test the popular RCT package (for the previous-generation 911) in a pristine, low-mileage 1994 RS America, thanks to owner Bob White, an engineering professor at the University of Illinois. The RCT illustrates the broad range of modifications available from Ruf.
The intercooled, single-turbo RCT's details are similar to the BTR's. With an 8.5:1 compression ratio and 10.9 psi of boost, the RCT makes 380 horsepower at 5800 rpm—an increase of 133 horses over that year's normally aspirated six. The engine-package price is $19,900. White's RCT also sports the requisite 18-inch wheels and tires for $4040 and the RCT suspension for $3290. White opted for a 911 Turbo front-brake package for $1990 and a Ruf six-speed gearbox for $8490 (replacing that year's factory five-speed).
What sounds just like a BTR, though, isn't. The little secret is that this stuff is fitted to an RS America, which is 70 pounds lighter than that year's 911. The RS America punches a smaller hole through the air, with a frontal area of 18.9 square feet, versus the 20.0 square feet of of the '94 911.
This RCT feels even wilder than the BTR. From a rolling start in first gear, a boost spike breaks the tires loose at 3000 rpm. Shift fast enough, and the tires continue repaving the tarmac throughout second gear. It's not until third that the Dunlops can settle down and do their work. The RCT is harder to launch, and it's nearly a half-second behind the BTR to 60 mph, but it isn't long before aerodynamics become a factor. By the quarter-mile, the RCT is at a higher velocity. After that, the needles climb so rapidly we began wondering if White had concealed a nitrous bottle somewhere. The RCT reaches 150 mph in 23.1 seconds, quicker than both the BTR and the factory 911 Turbo. Credit not only the narrow rear fenders, but also the Ruf windshield A-pillar inserts the BTR didn't have that reduce drag from the 911 's rain gutters. Top speed is an estimated 193 mph—36 mph more than the stock RS America.
If speed is the devil, then this RCT proves the devil is in the details. For more details, call Ruf. —DS
RUF RCT
rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive,turbocharged and intercooled flat-6, 6-speed manual
Base/as-tested price: $86,908/$97,388
Power: 380 bhp @5800 rpm
Torque: 395 lb-ft @ 4500
Curb weight: 3050
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 4.1 sec
100 mph: 9.3 sec
1/4 mile: 12.5 sec @ 117 mph
130 mph: 16.1 sec
150 mph: 23.1 sec
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 4.8 sec
Top Speed (est): 193 mph
Braking, 70-0 mph: 170 ft
Specifications
Specifications
1997 Ruf Porsche 993BTR
Vehicle Type: rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door coupe
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $106,065/$107,865
ENGINE
turbocharged and intercooled SOHC 12-valve flat-6, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injection
Displacement: 220 in3, 3600 cm3
Power: 420 hp @ 5700 rpm
Torque: 420 lb-ft @ 4800 rpm
TRANSMISSION
6-speed manual
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 89.5 in
Length: 167.8 in
Curb Weight: 3170 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 3.7 sec
100 mph: 9.3 sec
1/4-Mile: 12.2 sec @ 115 mph
130 mph: 17.0 sec
150 mph: 26.2 sec
170 mph: 50.0 sec
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 4.7 sec
Top Speed (est): 185 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 175 ft
C/D TESTING EXPLAINED