By the mid-1990s, RUF had cemented an unrivalled reputation for the aftermarket modification of high-performance Porsches. Customers could buy directly from the small Bavarian firm, or provide a donor car for significant upgrades. The latter course was chosen for this unique example, based upon an already-rare European-market 993-generation Carrera RS, which was delivered new to Livorno, Italy in 1995.
Two years later, its first owner commissioned RUF to upgrade their RS to ‘Turbo R’ specification, mating a highly modified “993” 911 Turbo powertrain to the existing rear-wheel-drive transmission. The car also underwent extensive improvements to both braking and suspension systems, further to a suite of cosmetic and performance enhancements. These included a GT2 rear wing, five-spoke Speedline Corse alloys, RUF instrumentation with steering wheel, and removal of the rear seat.
The car was sold to its second owner in 2004 and was immediately returned to RUF in Pfaffenhausen for a full engine overhaul. This exceptionally rare example of RUF’s air-cooled swansong was routinely serviced by Porsche Centres in Modena and Florence throughout the 1990s and 2000s, also returning to Pfaffenhausen for servicing at RUF in 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006. These entries are stamped in the car’s accompanying service book. The car was kept in a large private collection for many years, before being sold to the consigning owner, residing in Germany, in 2014. Forming part of another collection, the Turbo R was used sparingly, with the odometer reading 63,962 kilometres at the time of cataloguing.
While any Porsche from the 993 generation is enticing in its own right, being honed by the masters at RUF only makes this example more desirable.
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