2007 RUF RT12

Tony’s Take: Alois Ruf is the Porsche tuner’s tuner. Only RUF Automobile doesn’t just tune Porsches. They’re also a certified German manufacturer, with their own VIN numbers. Oh sure, the RUF RT12 looks like a Porsche . . .

But the bodywork is their own design – easily identified (in this model) by the air cooling ducts atop the RT12’s rear haunches (as opposed to the Porsche Turbo’s side inlets). RUF also fettled the RT12’s sheet metal to increase the donor car’s downforce, keeping it safe well over 200mph.

To say RUF breathed on the engine is like saying Chris Hemsworth did a little bodybuilding for Thor. In this case, Pfaffenhausen’s finest bored-out the Porsche Turbo’s turbo six from 3.6 to 3.8L and bolted on a pair of KKK K24 Turbochargers, yielding a staggering 650 hp.

The RT 12 is amongst some of the fastest production cars in the world, with a 0-60 time of 2.8 seconds and 219 mph top speed with standard gearing, very similar to the RUF CTR2’s 217 mph record from 1996. This gave it superior straight-line performance when compared with similar supercars: Ferrari Enzo, Porsche Carrera GT, and Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.

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RUF made just thirteen RT12’s in differing states of tune – base, ”S” and ”R” variants – all with custom interiors. All but two kept all-wheel-drive.

Price predicting the car is a b*tch.

Gooding’s hammered this same 3200-mile car (with different wheels) for $263k – some 25 percent below their estimate. BAT sold a 17k mile 2006 RT12 with a smaller engine for $910k – more than 3X the price of the lower-mileage 2007 car.

I think the Gooding’s car was a bargain, and the BAT car was a p*ssing match (or worse). This time around, I say the RUF RT12 splits the difference, fetching all of $400k. Downside: not a “true” Porsche and whorehouse red interior.