1982 RUF 911 BTR-1 - first RUF production car - 189mph world's fastest car - see OCTANE 9-page feature: April 2022 No.226

Transmission: Dog leg 5-speed

Chassis Number: TRCBD 001

Colour: Dark blue metallic

NOW SOLD - what a car !

<<<< Please listen to Alois RUF's 35 second commentary - link below - on this very car for sale, Alois shown here, (2nd from the left) in this main photo with Phil Hill, Paul Frere, and the first owner of BTR-1, Wolf Gregor on the left. CLICK HERE : RUF 911 Alois Ruf BTR-1 comment

9 page OCTANE Magazine feature - this month's issue, April 2022 issue No.226

THIS VERY CAR - RUF 911 chassis No.1 : BTR-1 - TRCBD 001 was delivered new in October 1982 and appears on this You Tube History of RUF Automobiles at 19 minutes 45 seconds into the video showing Alois Ruf, Phil Hill, Paul Frere and the first owner of this car, Wolf Gregor standing next to Alois Ruf: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S69Yk61nqp8

Just 9000 miles or so since total engine rebuild with new crankshaft, con-rods and pistons in 2007

Purchased by the cars' 4th owner in 2003, this RUF 911 has been cherished and maintained for the last 19 years with no expense spared

Afficionados of RUF will know that the company is in a unique position to source body shells directly from Porsche to create its' own individual interpretation of a highly capable sports car.

<< Robert Coucher at OCTANE magazine commented this month (See text photo on left)

Road tested at 186mph in 1984 in Road & Track as the World’s Fastest Production Car TRCBD 001 – 186mph was achieved by 1961 Formula One Ferrari World Champion and three time Le Mans Winner Phil Hill – the USA’s first F1 champion from Santa Monica California. A copy of Road & Track is on file here. Later, Paul Frere - Belgian motoring journalist and 1960 Le Mans winner - achieved 189mph in this car by folding the door mirrors!

Main photo here of Phil Hill at speed road testing this car for Road and Track in 1984 when first registered M-VX 3113 

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SEE THESE 3 SHORT FILMS OF THIS RUF on the move:-

Hear this fabulous car running : https://youtu.be/7ns7ejgil-w

0-100 mph in 9.8 timed at the time

See this car move : https://youtu.be/2AhcU10ZAdg

Rapid mover : https://youtu.be/3NE_RQAUx48   

See a sprint off the line :  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2aIsRH3h7M

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RM Sotheby's makes mention of this very car we are offering when they recently sold a black "Porsche WP0ZZZ chassis to RUF converison" on 27th January 2022 - this year - in Arizona on this auction link for US $445,000 / £337,000https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/az22/arizona/lots/r0010-1985-porsche-ruf-btr-iii/1185373

"The arrival of the BTR marked the beginning of RUF’s global reputation, establishing it as the most highly regarded of Porsche tuning firms. The BTR was inspired by the FIA Group B regulation, using the 930 Turbo body and 935-sourced engine internals as a basis with which to produce a 375-horsepower, 190-mph sports car that was then successfully tested by journalists against the fastest contemporary models from Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Porsche. (Our Car -Road & Track road tested 1986 by Phil Hill & Paul Frere) Widely regarded as the fastest-accelerating road car in the world during production, the BTR was consistently revised until 1993 with performance modifications running from their earliest "BTR I" offerings to the latest and most extreme, the "BTR III."

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THE STORY OF THIS CAR – the very first BTR RUF 911

From tuner and modifier of Porsches, Alois Ruf graduated into full manufacturer status – awarded in 1981 by the German Automobile Manufacturers Association.

The first group of BTR RUF-designated cars – numbered BTR-1, BTR-2 and BTR-3 were constructed in 1982.

Alois RUF’s favoured 911 was the basis for the trio of initial cars – the very first of which : BTR-1 is offered for sale here…

The BTR’s engine was based on the 3.3-litre Turbo…this No.1 production car here is 3.4-litres, fed by a RUF intercooler and oversize KKK Turbocharger.

The resulting 369bhp fed (last dyno 402bhp) a previously not introduced new dog-leg 5-speed gearbox, not even used by Porsche at this stage. This custom-built dog-leg 5-speed gearbox was Alois RUF’s secret weapon – with the perfect set of gear ratios for achieving 189mph.

The development of the dog-leg RUF 5-speed gearbox was a big development back in the day because the factory 5-speed unit from the 3.2 Carrera could not handle the extra power of the turbocharged Porsche 930 flat-six. So until RUF solved the issue, 930 owners were destined to use the transmission that was one gear short of reaching the car’s full potential

Suspension and brakes are also uprated to RUF’s BTR specification

Phil Hill remarked “I was really delightfully impressed by its manners and astounded by its speed -and yet it’s quite tractable for normal driving”

Paul Frere later recorded 189 mph - to do this he folded the door mirrors inboard and recorded a one-way pass

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The enthusiast present owner over the last 20 years has maintained this car no-expense spared - including a complete engine rebuild - up to the point that he did not want a concours example.

He says:-"I have owned this unique RUF 911 for nearly 20 years. I normally change cars every 6 months but my RUF 911 BTR-1 has been just too good to part with.Before retirement, if I was out visiting a client and could avoid tedious motorway driving, I would choose take this car above all the others in my collection. It is totally at home on A & B roads. Cross country driving is where it thrills.The left hand driving position is superb, and so much better than the compromised driving position on all UK RHD 911s. The RUF can be used "off boost" and still driven briskly to the shops. On track it is sublime. The rear end breaks away progressively and has never spun in my hands. The handling is precise and communicative.After a days' use, I used to come away thinking "I should drive my RUF even more often”. I also like the fact that my clients don't regard it as a flash car." Re turbo boost -"I think the RUF Turbo boost is locked off to preserve the engine at 1 bar - which is still a whooping 14.5psi ! There is an adjustable red line on the boost gauge to show registered boost, and an adjustable boost knob below the dashboard by the front boot release, which would be easy to free off, but the performance where it is set - is extreme!"

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Lot number 839 Brooks Auction catalogue number 78 of 4th December 1997 at Olympia states:- “BTR-1 was delivered new in October 1982 to Wolf Gregor, passing in due course to his brother Tilman, its current owner. The car made history in 1984, when, after a test conducted by Road and Track magazine, it was pronounced the ‘world’s fastest’. To win the crown this RUF trounced not only Porsche’s own 928S and 911 Turbo, but the best from Aston Martin, BMW, Ferrari, Jaguar, and Lamborghini to boot. The car was driven by ex-Formula One World Champion Phil Hill, BTR-1 clocked a staggering 186.2 mph; later managing 188.9 mph with Paul Frere at the wheel. ‘I was really delightfully impressed by its manners and astounded by its speed – and yet it’s quite tractable for normal driving,’ remarked Hill.

Repainted in in the winter of 1995, and benefitting from an engine and transmission rebuild c13,000kms ago, BTR-1 comes with all-leather interior, rollbar, sunroof, stereo radio-cassette 17” RUF wheels, and has a German TUV/ASU”

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So…the third owner was Stephen Bloch of London N6, acquiring this car at the above mentioned Brooks Sale, at The National Hall Olympia – photo No.2 above showing the car being driven flat out by Phil Hill when registered M-VX-3113

Bloch recognised this RUF as the genuine article rather than a hacked about old 911 with a turbocharger with an expensive set of the company’s light alloy wheels, but his ideas remained 356-shaped until he realised that auctioneer Robert Brooks was working hard to arouse some interest in this BTR-1.

Bloch began to consider it, and then, as the bidding languished around the £10,000 mark, he became seriously tempted. This 190 mph projectile could be the high-performance bargain of the century! Robert Brooks called Bloch’s bid of £12,000 once…twice…three times, and after a second which must have seemed like an eternity, the gavel fell to Bloch for a total of £14,703, or not much more than a good 911SC of similar vintage.

Stephen Bloch was approached by 911 and Porsche World for their July 1998 issue which details that the first owner was Wolf Gregor and then his brother Tilman. Both meticulous in this car’s upkeep, “with full service and maintenance, Tilman accounted for no fewer than three major engine overhauls and one rebuild of the 5-speed gearbox (not unreasonable when you consider the power that the RUF factory had managed to extract from it)”.  A copy of this 911 and Porsche World is on file.

“Bloch took BTR-1 straight to RUF Automobile GB in Weybridge, Surrey, for a thorough inspection and service. Service manager Graham Leask identified BTR-1 immediately ‘but we weren’t entirely sure whether it was actually the first built. As soon as we checked the chassis number with the RUF factory in Pfaffenhausen though, there was absolutely no doubt’ Leask said. On the car’s last visit to the factory, it had apparently been fully restored. This consisted of an engine overhaul, a full re-spray, renovation of the seats by Recaro, and the replacement of various consumables such as suspension dampers and brake discs. At Dm 55,000 or around £20,000 at the time it was far from a budget job, but when BTR-1 number one left again, the factory considered it to be in as-new condition, and could realistically do no more to it”.

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Overhauled as stated above and re-painted in the original colour at the RUF factory in Pfaffenhausen around 1995, BTR-1 benefits further from approximately £20,000 spent since being purchased by the previous owner Stephen Bloch of London N6 between 1997 and 2002, the car serviced and maintained by RUF-GB and RUF-Germany, including an engine rebuild in May 2002, just before the present owner purchased this car.

Bloch noted these statistics on file: 0-60mph in 4.7 seconds, 0-100mph in 10.4 seconds, a standing ¼ mile in 13.3 seconds and 100 mph, and a maximum of 186.2 mph.

With original factory fitted roll bar, dark blue leather in excellent condition, radio-cassette (now KenWood CD and remote USB connector), sunroof and 17” RUF ALLOY wheels, paint is in metallic dark blue.

In the current ownership since 2003, Porsche specialist Chris Mannion was commissioned in 2007 to rebuild BTR-1’s engine including: strip clean and measure, new crankshaft, replacement con-rods, new piston rings, new cam chains, 6 new injectors, modified exhaust cross pipe, full gasket set, and a host of normal service items.

Bob Watson set the engine up on the rolling road, reporting 402bhp and torque at 440 lbs feet - up to those of 1984 and 1998.

3.4 litre turbo - includes UK registration "3.4 RUF" if the car is sold in the UK, otherwise the number will be retained by the current owner ......the black number plate fixing screw was all that was to hand, Officer...

The first built - hear this engine running - awesome ! See https://youtu.be/aSpyRkRROZk

This is a very important 911 - the real deal - not a Porsche 911 retro-conversion which is quite different - for the discerning 911 enthusiast - please enquire

Included Kenwood CD with USB connection

Front tyres : Bridgestone Potenza REO40 215/45 ZR 17

Rear Tyres : Bridgestone S-02A 255/40 ZR17 (94Y) - with RUF rear calipers

Wheels : RUF Speedline 17"

PLEASE CONSULT THIS RECENTLY SOLD 1985 RUF 911 for $445,000 US on January 27th 2022, albeit this one is a converted WPOZZZ Porsche bodyshell unlike our original RUF manufactured BTR-1 car  : https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/az22/arizona/lots/r0010-1985-porsche-ruf-btr-iii/1185373 

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For interest - The American RUF sales brochure in period was published as follows:-

The RUF 911 Turbo

At 186mph, a star is born

The RUF 911 Turbo’s remarkable speed alone is enough to warrant respect. This machine is no temperamental, delicate automotive race horse, it is a reliable, solid vehicle, dependable on the open road with driveability that will astound you.

It is with great pride that we offer you the RUF 911 Turbo

To special order a RUF 911 Turbo, call your RUF Authorised Dealer

RUF Autos – The Fastest Production Car in the World

We all dream of possessing the best…the finest…the uniquely superb. RUF Automobiles are precisely that.

The best of their kind – and the fastest production cars in the world

RUF Automobiles GmbH, manufacturers of the fastest production cars in the world, dates back to 1939 when Alois RUF’s father started with a gasoline station. At the same location in the small country town of Pfaffenhausen Germany, west of Munich, the small gasoline station has grown into an ultra modern manufacturing & research facility.

The new facility, built in 1979, has two 1000hp engine dynamometers, a chassis dynamometer, frame and chassis jigs, a paint booth, an assembly area, and a full service maintenance shop. At this time there is a plan on the drawing board to increase the scope of the factory, should world wide demand continue at the current pace.

RUF Automobiles GmbH first attained their status as manufacturers of the “World’s Fastest Production Car” in 1984. Road & Track magazine supervised the challenge between 17 of the world’s “Super” cars (see September 1984 issue of Road & Track magazine… the RUF 911 Turbo came out top with a an initial speed of 186.2 mph !

In April 1987, RUF Automobiles GmbH won the prestigious challenge again… this time with the amazing speed of 211 mph, 0-60 mph in 4.0 seconds, and a standing ¼ mile in 11.7 seconds. See July 1987 issue of Road & Track magazine, the competition was among the very best.

Frankly, for most people owning a RUF 911 will remain a dream. Only a very select few will ever experience the speed, power, performance and excellence of ride that come with RUF ownership.

For many years RUF Autos, could be obtained directly from Alois RUF’s facility at Pfaffenhausen, Germany. And in Europe clients still wait up to 2 years to obtain these handcrafted cars.

While RUF cars are still exceedingly rare, RUF Automobiles International Inc, through its authorised dealers can now offer a fortunate few here in the United States the opportunity to own their own RUF 911.

These superb driving machines have obtained full U.S. certification from both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) and are recognised as having original manufacturer status with the U.S. Government. Simply, this means that a RUF Automobile is not a “Grey Market” car, and has no “certification” “federalization” and insurance problems.

Your achievements entitle you to own the best. Finally it can be yours.

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The car we offer today is the real deal - the original RUF factory-built 1982 BTR-1 RUF 911

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Although we attempt to ensure accuracy of any statement or detail, the customer must make his or her own judgement in purchasing this car. The purchaser of the above car understands that he or she is purchasing a historic motor car with components that are up to 40 years old and sold as a collector item. There is no warranty given or implied due to the age of the car.

 

NOW SOLD

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Call 07973 731508