Thanks to a very yellow, very fast and very sideways 911, everyone who knows a bit about cars knows a bit about Ruf. An independent and established manufacturer in its own right, Ruf is in the business of making Porsches more so. Actually, that does Ruf a disservice; 'optimise' would seem more appropriate. Very good cars made even better with some significant upgrades.
Nobody will know from here!
The first Cayman was always ripe for a bit of aftermarket fettling. A gorgeous chassis denied a real range-topper thanks to that old rear-engined elephant in the Porsche range. There is still the very exciting possibility of a flagship for the current Cayman range but the first 986/7 model finished with the 'R'; an exceptional car, yes, but not much different to the S.
The Ruf 3400K is very different to a Cayman S. It makes 400hp for a start. That's thanks to a supercharger on the 3.4-litre flat-six, making the 3400K a 180mph car. That 911 look at the front is a deliberate move by Ruf to give this Cayman a more assertive appearance to match the performance. There were of course a raft of suspension and brake tweaks to cope with the additional performance.
Three pedals, hydraulic steering, 400hp; yes
And it's a manual! Back then an automatic Cayman would have been a Tiptronic and that just wouldn't do for this. From the images the gearknob doesn't look like the most pleasant thing to use though. The wheel isn't very nice either. But they can be changed.
The 3400K was introduced in 2007 as a 25th anniversary special of Ruf production cars.The original owner clearly didn't fancy marking the occasion by driving the 3400K much as it has only covered 7,800 miles in seven years. It was priced back then at 75,000 euros as a more affordable entry point into Ruf ownership. With this car listed as POA, it's hard to be accurate but a figure still in that region seems likely. For a Cayman with the power it deserves and the Ruf reputation behind it that doesn't seem ridiculous.
RUF 3400K
Price: POA (est 75,000 euros/£59,750)
Why you should: It's a Ruf Cayman. People who know will love it.
Why you shouldn't: It's a Ruf Cayman. You will have to explain.
See the original advert here.