further modification<\/em> in the UK and, with the help of a bigger turbo and better exhaust system, is now capable of around 550bhp. Suddenly, a normal 911 Turbo feels a bit under-stacked.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]The thick clunk of the harness buckles feels very reassuring. Enfolded by all this track-biased paraphernalia, we\u2019re not sure what to expect when we turn the key. The engine barks into life in familiar 911 voice \u2013 an immediate chatter of rapping valves, semi-simultaneous cylinder firings, thrumming belts, induction gulps and grumbling exhaust. It\u2019s louder, and there\u2019s something more hollow about the sound, more metallic. And at the back of it all, a faint burble warns that this really isn\u2019t a standard 911.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/RUF-JUSTICE.4-scaled.jpg” title_text=”RUF JUSTICE.4″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]
It moves off emitting an exaggerated 911 din \u2013 noises from God knows where. The 1950s-style truck drivetrain whine, the impolite belches and, overlaying it all, the off-key singing voice of a girl intoning above the other racket. No matter how many 911s you have driven before, there’s always a minute where all you do is listen and smile to yourself, hoping it doesn’t grenade. God bless air-cooled.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]
The tractor noises live mainly below 2000rpm and are the Porsche\u2019s way of telling us that we\u2019re out of the meat of its power-band. It chugs if we\u2019re hesitant. If we stall it, dip the clutch immediately and it relights itself instantly. Best to push on a bit and swing the tacho needle a little higher where the girl\u2019s voice sings louder to overcome the clatter.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]
At first, the gearbox is notchy, and giving the faint impression (probably wrong) that it\u2019s slightly offset from the north-south alignment. To about 3000rpm (the domain of the girl\u2019s voice) it is modestly brisk. Second and third are directly opposite one another and provide a quick flick to keep the car moderately on its toes without getting into big power.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text module_class=”fp-quote-bold” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Poppins|700|||||||” text_font_size=”20px” text_orientation=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]
Incandescent with noise and electro\u2011magnetically alive to every input, the Ruf sears across the tarmac.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]
Porsche gave the Turbo a four-speed \u2019box, stating that the components of the five-speed weren’t beefy enough to handle the torque loads. Ruf, in conjunction with Getrag (using parts from the racing 935\u2019s box), gave its machines a beefed-up five- or even six-speed transmission.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]
We find we’re using the gearstick a lot in this car, sometimes to keep out of the turbo\u2019s way on slower roads. But a quick glance at those thick black harness straps tells us that this is not how things are meant to be.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]
A stronger push on the light throttle and the white-on-red tacho needle arcs around its dial. The engine noise thickens into a guttural snarl and the car quickly picks itself up and bounds forward. This change in poise and the thick wedge of torque thrust around 3600rpm are something to savour. Such is the difference in grunt that the uninitiated might think that is the turbo kicking in, but it\u2019s a universal 911 trait. It\u2019s something to induce quickly with a four-three or three-two downchange, playing the power curve to punch the car forward. We feel quite edgy and slick doing all this until we glance in the mirror and glimpse the black shadow of the ducting in the flared rear wheelarches behind. We see the wide, wide profile of the tail. We haven’t felt the turbocharger kick in yet.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/RUF-JUSTICE.2-scaled.jpg” title_text=”RUF JUSTICE.2″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]
Look out for a long stretch of blacktop, bite your lip, and from a lazy third gear, flick forward to second with a snatch of throttle. Watch the white needle jump through 4000rpm then push quickly and smoothly down on the pedal.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]
The guttural snarl broadens and flares, giving way to the saw-toothed roar of a Merlin aero engine. Punctuated by the wastegate whiplash hiss and snatched exhaust bark of every gearchange, it spirals up in an instant as we push on the power. The car blasts on even faster; the sucker-punch blow of the midrange torque hugely reinforced by the afterburner thrust of the turbo. It seems to lose all weight, though not poise or grip, and simply rockets down the road.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]
We really don\u2019t know where the needles on the dials are. If you look anywhere other than a long way ahead \u2013 beyond the melting road markings, blurred lights and bending lamp posts \u2013 then you\u2019re deeply unwise.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]
At this point the Ruf 911 disappears through its own dark looking glass into a realm all its own. It\u2019s a world somewhere between where \u2018normal\u2019 supercars live and where ghostly 935s run a knife-edge balance on the banked curves of phantasmagorical N\u0171rburgrings.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]
Incandescent with noise and electro-magnetically alive to every input, the Ruf sears across the tarmac. At speed, it answers all of its controls with a remarkable sensitivity. Nothing goes unnoticed by the car. Small throttle changes alter the pitch and attitude immediately, steering corrections push the unseen nose this way and that. It\u2019s by no means unstable, it\u2019s just that it \u2018feels\u2019 us \u2013 and us it \u2013 like virtually no other car.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/RUF-JUSTICE.5-scaled.jpg” title_text=”RUF JUSTICE.5″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text module_class=”fp-caption” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”12px” custom_margin=”-15px||||false|false” custom_padding=”||7px|||” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]
Interior doesn’t flatter to deceive \u2013 you’ll be thankful to be fully strapped in.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]
As the road begins to arc, our mind goes again to that great wide tail, a potential pendulum that controls the whole attitude of the machine. We can simply brake hard for a bend, feeling our shoulders thrust against the thick black straps as the huge discs clamp to bring the speed down. Or we can take a more wily 911-like approach.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text module_class=”fp-quote-bold” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Poppins|700|||||||” text_font_size=”20px” text_orientation=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]
‘It\u2019s a world where supercars live and where ghostly 935s run a knife-edge balance on the banked curves of phantasmagorical N\u0171rburgrings’<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]
Coming towards a curve, the merest inflection of throttle lift-off sends a slight ripple through the chassis, lifting the tail infinitesimally and sending the weight to the nose. Engine popping on the fleeting overrun, the front wheels dig in and take the turn. Back on the power \u2013 smoothly \u2013 the weight goes back to the rear. Time to feel the side of the Recaro seat suddenly present to hold us in the bend.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]
Lift-off for whatever reason and that tail will go light again \u2013 either digging the nose again or, if too much, slipping the back out. Likewise, too much power will slide the big back tyres that are impatient to get ahead of the fronts. Do this badly and you’ll end up facing backwards. Where other cars would soak up inexactitude in sloppy tolerances, a 911 Turbo \u2013 at high speed \u2013 would punish.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]
But we feel more secure exploring these regions in the Ruf than a standard Turbo. Maybe the suspension is a little more finely tuned \u2013 gas-filled Bilsteins and all that \u2013 but it\u2019s down to that closely stacked five-speed transmission and a generally smoother (Ruf-mapped) transition to turbo boost. The stock four-speed can pull some harsh tricks, especially when trying to balance the car in the golden power band, or when the standard turbo thumps in the middle of a tricky bend. More cogs means we can better manage the force and the stance of the car.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/RUF-JUSTICE.3-scaled.jpg” title_text=”RUF JUSTICE.3″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]
With the Ruf we can rock those two-three-four changes to keep the revs up \u2013 but not too far up that we get into full-on afterburner. Even with the marginally insane 911 driver, this thing shouldn\u2019t really be allowed to get its freak on unless the corners have gravel traps. Looking at the concrete curbs of the dual carriageways, this doesn\u2019t look like the place to get too creative.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]
But others might disagree. At a meeting of dual carriageways at a roundabout, there\u2019s the sudden bark of a stainless steel exhaust and, in a filmic Fast and the Furious moment, a silver Nissan GT-R appears, the overhead lights strobing over its high gloss bodywork. For a moment the two cars are side by side. Each driver glances at the other machine before the Nismo legend peels away and accelerates into the night, its raucous wail rising into the dark sky. Now those things are serious machines and it suddenly makes us think of the way performance cars have gone \u2013 all those \u2018advances\u2019. But would we want one over this? No way. It\u2019s nothing to do with brand snobbery. In fact there are many performance icons, from back in the day as well as modern, that pale beside this hot-rodded 911.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]
It\u2019s not about out-and-out performance figures \u2013 that\u2019s for kids playing Gran Turismo. It\u2019s about the way a car moves and feels, the feedback and sensations it imparts. Very little matches the sublime cacophony of a 911 \u2013 not just at full chat, but throughout its power cycle.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text module_class=”fp-h4″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_4_font=”Poppins|700|||||||” header_4_font_size=”16px” custom_margin=”||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”||0px||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]
The lasting impression<\/h4>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]
In terms of dynamic range and abilities, most cars have nowhere near the ensemble of moves, poise and posture that this turbocharged, rear-engined machine can deploy. This thing will keep you wired but, after this, a Ferrari 550 Fiorano feels like a 1970s Pontiac Trans Am, and the Nissan GT-R seems as remote as if you\u2019d been driving it wearing a deep-sea diving suit.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]
So, it’s nothing if not a memorable drive. Buying one will be more challenging than driving it \u2013 they’re rarer than hen’s teeth in the UK, and when you do find one, there’s going to be serious competition for it. But astonishingly, it’s also great value for money in a market that loves originality. So, if this Ruf is your thing, you’ll pay a little more for it than you will a vanilla 911 Turbo. A good Porsche specialist will happily keep it in fine fettle for you, too.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]
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As for the ownership proposition, the spellbinding combination of ferocity and softness, a delicate balance between rawness and malleability, will mean you’ll love every moment you spend with the Ruf. After experiencing this, driving other cars will never be quite the same.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Who is Ruf Automobile GMBH?<\/h4>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/RUF-JUSTICE.6-scaled.jpg” title_text=”RUF JUSTICE.6″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]
Nestled in Pfaffenhausen, a small village west of Munich, the company was started by Alois Ruf senior in 1939. Initially an agricultural and mechanical repair shop, the business added a tour bus operation and petrol station by the early 1950s. By the middle of the decade, it was turning out Volkswagen engines with a displacement reduced to 700cc. When Alois Jr took the reins in \u201974 the relationship with Porsche began.<\/strong><\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]The first car he modified (1975) was a 911 Carrera RS. It had a special interior, a headlamp washer system and a roof aerial. In 1977 he began to make more serious modifications and built the first Ruf 911 Turbo. As well as having a Getrag five-speed gearbox, the car featured an engine enlarged from 3.0 to 3.3. Power output was increased from the stock 260bhp to 303bhp.<\/strong><\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]The company wasn\u2019t reluctant to make structural changes either. In 1980 Ruf presented a turbo-bodied targa with a T-bar roof to improve torsional stiffness. By 1981, Ruf was building its own five-speed gearboxes. This was the same year the German Federal Bureau of Motor Vehicles certified the company as a manufacturer. Ruf now began stamping its own chassis numbers, and its 3.4-litre turbo cars were handbuilt from bodyshell up. Within the company\u2019s development programme, high-specification wheels and brakes were also manufactured. Probably a good thing since by 1987 its 469bhp CTR hit 213mph on the Nardo test track. Ruf continues to develop high-powered niche products alongside the factory cars. By 2004 it had built or converted around 400 cars and some 200 uprated 964 engines.<\/strong><\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]SPECIFICATIONS<\/strong>
Engine:<\/strong> 3366cc\/flat-6\/DOHC
Power:<\/strong> c.550bhp@6000rpm
Torque:<\/strong> c.575lb ft@4800rpm
Performance:<\/strong> Top speed: 187mph; 0-60mph: 4.9sec
Fuel consumption:<\/strong> 17-21mpg
Transmission:<\/strong> RWD, five-speed manual<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"RUF JUSTICEIf you thought a standard Eighties Porsche 911 Turbo was scary, then this 500bhp red-hot poker turns the adrenaline up to 11. Buckle up and get ready…Words ROB SCORAHPhotography JONATHAN JACOBIt\u2019s a little unnerving \u2013 dropping down into the snugly caressing high-backed Recaro bucket seat, and fingering the wide, heavy-duty black TRS harnesses with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":1303,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1290","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"modified_by":"akindell","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/classic-cars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1290","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/classic-cars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/classic-cars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/classic-cars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/classic-cars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1290"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/classic-cars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1290\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1704,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/classic-cars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1290\/revisions\/1704"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/classic-cars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/classic-cars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1290"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/classic-cars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1290"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/classic-cars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1290"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}