Ruf Ehra celebrates iconic Yellowbird record
Last but no means least from Monterey, Ruf has a new spin on its clever carbon monocoque
While others made a great song and dance about their cars for Monterey Car Week (final mention, promise), the press release from Ruf was a much more subdued affair. And welcome, quite frankly, after all the noise. It has made a new car that was silver and looked a bit like an old Porsche. The lead image was of the car outside Ruf Automobile GmbH, with all the proud people who had worked on it. The accompanying words were short on hyperbole. Here was a new car from Ruf, honouring its heritage while also looking forward, and that was about it. Marvellous.
The heritage comes from the new car’s name: Ehra. That’s as in Ehra-Lessien, where Phil Hill and Paul Frere reached 211mph in the original CTR back in 1987, making a mockery of the other better known supercars also in attendance that day. It’s where the Yellowbird name originated from, hence the significance of VW’s test track to the Ruf story. Call it an early 40th birthday present.
But this isn’t a homage - Ruf already has a new Yellowbird. Instead the Ehra is a slightly softer take on the carbon monocoque machines that Ruf has been making of late, the naturally aspirated screamers like the SCR. See this one is turbocharged, with 650hp - maybe the least powerful car to debut this month? - and 664lb ft. There’s even all-wheel drive, albeit with ‘the possibility of rear-wheel drive dynamics’ - i.e., it goes off. A seven-speed manual is also included. In modern Porsche speak it’d be a Sport Classic, with towering turbo performance, a manual gearbox and a fairly under-the-radar appearance.
Look a little closer, though, and you’ll see that there’s some muscle to the Ehra. It has significantly wider tracks (58mm front, 54mm rear) than a CTR anniversary, bulking up what might look initially like quite a dainty shape into something much meaner. Each end has been redesigned, moreover, so the Ehra doesn't appear to be ‘just’ a turbo’d CTR. The five-spoke centrelocks are perfect, as always, and don’t forget there’s some serious hardware under a new Ruf: adaptive pushrod dampers feature at each corner. Ruf says its latest creation ‘has been designed and engineered to achieve the perfect balance between lightweight construction, durability, precision and driver engagement.’ It weighs 1,325kg at the kerb.
Inside, the Ehra gets seats finished in a Pasha pattern - an old Porsche isn’t complete without it - alongside the hand-stitched brown leather. That upholsters carbon chairs, and Ruf Green features throughout. Even after all this time, even in a world of Louis Vuitton Singers, nobody does it quite like Ruf.
And what of the future? Well, all the cars brought to Monterey Car Week, including a Rodeo and a CTR3 Evo, were running on renewable e-Fuel from HIF Global. Which isn’t going to save the world on its own, but it’s a start, an awareness that something beyond super unleaded is going to have to power these incredible cars one day in the not too distant future. Alois Ruf said: “We are so honored to be back once again at The Quail. The Ehra is a very special car for us, and we’re incredibly excited to finally share it with the world. Every year, The Quail brings us closer to our friends, fans and customers, and this year we are delivering a remarkable lineup of new cars to their new owners. Each Ruf we are showcasing is unique in its own way, with pure driving pleasure front and center as always.” And that really is it from California’s craziest car event for another year. Expect Ruf to be back in 2027 with something just as jaw-dropping - it wouldn’t be Car Week without them…
And, obvs, the engineering is impressive.
But I don’t get the “looks like a Porsche 911 but it’s not a Porsche 911” thang.
Why don’t they create / style their own car??
I admit to being a massive Singer fan, but I'd take one of these over the tat they've released at Monterey in the last week.
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