Rare Porsche with a heck of a story for sale in Silverstone
We all love to think that we're ahead of the curve, that we know more than the next guy when it comes to cars. And in the motoring world no other game better underlines the fact than guessing what contemporary car will become a modern classic. Driven have had our own stab at the equation, as do most other motoring sites when the mood strikes them.
But modern Porsches always seem to be vacant from such lists, especially the 996, 997, and the current 991. It's a strange phenomena, considering that each platform had a healthy stint of being coated in glory before being superseded. They all share the same silhouette as their predecessors, the same sorts of driving characteristics, and the same unorthodox engine format. So why do they tend to be overlooked?
It could come down to them all retaining a certain level of sameness. Ask a civilian off the street to tell the difference between a 993 and a 996, and they'll most likely give you a half reasonable run down. But ask the same civilian to separate a 996 and a 997 and they're probably going to have to clutch at a few more straws.
With this in mind it's no huge shock that minty examples of the 964 and 993 911 from the late–’80s to to mid–’90s are starting to slowly snowball in value. And while this particular example isn't exactly what I'd call a typical example of a 993, it's probably going to cash in on its different shape when it does under the hammer on the 15th of October at Silverstone Auctions in ... Silverstone.
What makes this 1993 Porsche 964 RCT so special? Well, those last three letters, as well as three more letters — Ruf.
Not familar with Ruf? Granted that they're not a household name like the glorious M and HSV groups, but they do have their fans — many of whom used to hoon their cars on the silverscreen on Gran Turismo. Ruf's name appears on the tails of many Porsches worldwide, but unlike BMWs which sport the famous chrome M, some Ruf Porsches are completely reworked from the ground up. To the extent that Ruf is actually recognized as a bespoke car manufacturer by the German government.
This particular 964 is quite a significant car in the story of Ruf and also in the story of Porsche. It first rolled off the factory floor as a special edition model. But it wouldn't remain that way for long.
“This particular car was spotted by none other than Alois Ruf Jr, the boss of Ruf Automobile GmbH,” says the listing.
“It was used as the basis for a revolutionary conversion he had developed that would combine a Turbocharged 964 3.6 engine with four-wheel drive, something that Porsche themselves would later employ in the 993 Turbo. The Ruf factory quickly set about stripping the car and rebuilding it with some mouth-watering components.”
So this very car pre-empted the 993 Turbo that would go on to define the following generation of 911. Its in–house created engine included twin-plug ignition, Motronic engine management, and a KKK K26 Turbo — good enough to boost the car's output from 300bhp to 385bhp. A rebuilt gearbox which featured a limited-slip differential, bigger brakes, better suspension, Speedline wheels, and the four-wheel drive system were among the many other revisions to a car that most would've labelled more than potent enough straight from the showroom. It became known as the Ruf Carrera Turbo, or RCT for short.
Ruf are understood to have made less than 100 of the RCT, but even within that fine and limited company this car stands out as the only one with a wide Turbo body and four-wheel drive.
What's all that rarity worth? Between £120,000–140,000 ($215,000NZD–250,000) according to Silverstone Auctions. A lot of money for sure, but hardly the worst buy to ever get inches on the Driven website.
