Ruf shows new R Spyder and CTR3 Evo
236mph from one and 8,400rpm from the other - something for everyone from Ruf at Monterey
Having wowed the Monterey crowds in 2022 (presumably no easy task) with the Bergmeister prototype, Ruf is back in California this year with two new cars. The first is the latest CTR3, a model that’s been part of the lineup for decades now, and the other is another car in the speedster mould - it’s called the R Spyder. You can probably guess which is which.
There’s been a CTR3 produced in Pfaffenhausen since 2007; it was replaced in 2012 by the CTR3 Clubsport. Now we have this, the CTR3 Evo and, in keeping with the spirit of these mid-engined mad things, it’s nothing if not potent. The most powerful Ruf ever, in fact. The dry-sumped 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six is now rated at 800hp and 730lb ft, with the promise of a ‘smooth and powerful pull to redline under any circumstances’.
Power goes to just the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch, and the top speed is rated at 236mph. Given Ruf’s reputation when it comes to this sort of thing, we’ll say they’re good for that almost four miles-a-minute claim. As ever, it looks the part.
Keeping a check on all that performance are 380mm carbon ceramic discs all round, rear tyres that almost meet in the middle and what looks like pushrod suspension. The chassis is steel, with Ruf’s Integrated Roll Cage and a carbon composite shell to keep it light and strong. Ruf says the Evo ‘takes our iconic supercar to the next level’, which is pretty tantalising given the level the CTR3 was already at, with ‘performance figures rivalling the best modern supercars’. Yes, please. Just a few will be made (exact numbers TBC), with prices starting at €1.5m - a snip by Monterey standards…
Or, if you prefer your Rufs a little more traditional, try the R Spyder. This is a design study in the mould of the Bergmeister for the moment rather than a fully-fledged production model, but it’s easy to imagine a whole lotta interest - especially in sunny California. Not least because this is how you do a speedster, even down to rearview cameras to keep the outside as clean as possible. And how good do individual driver and passenger cocoons look? Ruf has even thought of the turbulence offered up by that dramatically slashed windscreen, with helmets under the carbon rear hood that feature a communications system. A lot of work just for a design study, eh?
Power again comes from a flat-six, here a 4.0-litre offering up 515hp at 8,400rpm (so very slightly more powerful than a GT3) alongside 350lb ft at 6,250rpm. There’s a six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive and a limited-slip diff for the full old-school charm. But there’s also an integrated anti-roll-bar system for stiffness and stability, plus ceramic brakes again (410mm up front), so this is no mere hot rod. Ruf reckons the R Spyder offers up a ‘breathtaking driving experience’, which sounds eminently believable given the look of this thing. Ruf has to make a few of them soon, surely…
However these do not do it for me at all. Oh no.
The R spyder - if porsche themsleves made this, everyone would be a dribbling mess, because its RUF, people dont like it.
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