Much of the attention paid toward RUF Automobile over the last few years has been around its all-carbon CTR Anniversary and SCR, but the brand's mid-engine CTR3 is still going strong. In fact, it just got stronger as on Wednesday night in Monterey, RUF unveiled the CTR3 Evo, its most powerful car ever.
The CTR3 Evo's 3.8-liter twin-turbo flat six is good for a staggering 800 horsepower and 730 lb-ft of torque, all of which gets to the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. RUF doesn't quote any acceleration figures, but does publicize a claimed top speed of 236 mph, making it one of the fastest cars on earth. A fitting tribute to the original CTR "Yellowbird."
Introduced in 2007, the CTR3 was RUF's first model not based on a specific Porsche. It uses a steel tube-frame chassis with carbon-kevlar bodywork, and while from the A-pillar forward, it's similar to a 997 GT3 RS, from there on back, it's all RUF. The interior is adapted from the 987-generation Cayman, though in this Evo, it's trimmed decadently in blue suede.
The Evo provides 33 more horsepower and 8 more lb-ft of torque than the old CTR3 Clubsport, and the bodywork looks to be tweaked in a number of places. Most notable is the rear bumper, which ditches the Cayman taillights for quad round lights that look rather Ferrari-esque.
The CTR3 Clubsport listed for $725,000 back in 2018, so expect to pay at least that for the new model.
A car enthusiast since childhood, Chris Perkins is Road & Track's engineering nerd and Porsche apologist. He joined the staff in 2016 and no one has figured out a way to fire him since. He street-parks a Porsche Boxster in Brooklyn, New York, much to the horror of everyone who sees the car, not least the author himself. He also insists he's not a convertible person, despite owning three.
