RUF cayman

[deepee]

While the ride height has been lowered slightly with new springs and dampers and there’s a more aggressive tire/wheel package, the ride quality has not been compromised. (Our test vehicle rode on Ruf five-spoke alloys shod with Continental SportContact2 tires; the Ruf RK Coupé will come equipped with a new wheel package featuring Studiotorino wheels and Dunlop SP Sport Maxx rubber at all four corners and slightly wider at the rear). In fact, Road Test Editor Shaun Bailey says that cruising down a bumpy stretch of freeway in the RK Coupé is “more comfortable than doing so in our long-term .” He also noticed that out on the test track, the car offers better control in induced oversteer situations than a Cayman S. Interestingly, the RK Coupé’s tarmac-grabbing ability around the skidpad is identical to that of the stock Cayman S, but accomplished with less sticky tires. And when conditions get bad, it’s nice to know that Porsche’s Stability Management (PSM) is there if you need it.

The steering and throttle feel can be described in two words — light and precise. And while brake feel and performance are excellent, the middle pedal does feel a little stiff, although it’s this characteristic that aids in driver feedback.

Power for the Ruf RK Coupé comes from a massaged Porsche 997 engine (3.8 liters in displacement as opposed to the 3.4- liter flat-6 engine from the Cayman S) that features a Ruf Kompressor — the “RK” in RK Coupé — or what we Americans know better as a supercharger. This centrifugal belt-driven blower, with a planetary gearbox, has a max boost of 0.7 bar, or 10.2 psi. Other enhancements include Ruf-designed intake manifolds and intercoolers, sport-tuned catalytic converters and a Ruf electronic engine-management system. An electric water pump circulates cooled water between the charge cooler and a radiator in the front spoiler. Altogether, this setup boosts horsepower by a full 90 bhp over the normally aspirated 911 engine, and a whopping 145 horsepower over the standard Cayman S unit; torque is increased to 347 lb.-ft. Combined with the Ruf’s relatively light weight and slight rearward weight bias (45 percent front/55 rear), this thoroughly capable powerplant accelerates the RK Coupé from 0 to 60 mph in a scant 3.8 seconds and through the quarter-mile in only 12.2 sec. at a touch under 116 mph. The engine revs freely and effortlessly, making it easy to hit the 7200-rpm limiter (there’s no indicated redline).

In a collaboration with Studiotorino of Rivoli, Italy, virtually every square inch of the interior is covered by “the finest leather in all of Italy,” boasts the head of the firm, Alfredo Stola. “It is the same leather found in the cars of both Ferrari and Maserati.” Run your hand across its supple grain and it feels glass-smooth but obviously softer — the same sensation when you glide your fingers across the car’s sensuous bodywork (more on this in a moment). Save for the center console control panel and a small section of the door panels, everything is covered in leather, even the roof and the bulkhead behind the seats. What’s more, the two-tone hides feature alternate-color stitching; lighter colored on dark leather and vice-versa. A special treat are the Tora carbon-fiber seats that are not only thin and lightweight but also very comfortable, more so than one would expect with so little padding. A rarity for carbon-fiber seats, they feature manual adjustment.

If the interior were not enough to establish the Italian firm’s fine credentials, one need look no further than the RK Coupé’s outer shell for more proof of its handiwork. Studiotorino has developed entirely new sheet metal, apart from the front left fender. Every section — the roof, hood, front right fender and rear fenders — is a handmade original, some of the changes obvious (the C-pillar side windows from the Cayman S are gone and the side vents just in front of the rear wheels have been reshaped and moved lower), some almost undetectable (the distinctive rear fender arches are slightly longer than those found on Porsche’s coupe). And you thought the German manufacturer’s mid-engine 2-door couldn’t get any sexier!

Two other exterior enhancements of interest are the paint finish and the race-car-inspired fuel filler atop the hood. Machined from a solid billet of aluminum, the gas cap is more sculpture than a simple car part, and the round opening cut into the hood was done with laser-like precision. And that luscious Candy Apple Red paint is deep, uniform (not the slightest spot of “orange peel”) and absolutely flawless. The shade was masterminded by Mrs. Stola, who says the secret is to work with a white base over the primer, followed by multiple coats of nail polish-like pink and then the red.

Corporations the world over are constantly on the lookout for another business entity that they may merge with or acquire to form that elusive synergistic partnership, one where the sum of their total parts is collectively greater than their value as separate concerns. For this collaboration between two master automotive artisans, the sum of their collective work — the all-new Ruf RK Coupé, of which only 49 will be made.

Discussie

[deepee]

😯 waarom zou je koppijn krijgen van een 3.8 blok uit een 911 + supercharger met een vermogen van 440 pk ipv de std 295 pk

van mijn oprit zal ik deze bom zeker niet verjagen 😀

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[THIENPONT HENDRIK]

:bounce: :bounce:

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[de Geert]

Kwijl kwijl, die voorstoelen kunnen mij wel bekoren, de rest hoeft voor mij niet zozeer *luv

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