As with most things, fashion dictates the direction of design/creation and certainly in recent years backdating a relatively cheap 80s or 90s 911 has been very popular with people who preferred the 60s and 70s pre impact bumper styling, harnessed with later technically superior donor platforms.
However, fashion is also always moving, and the days of picking up a cheap SC or Carrera 3.2 are fast disappearing, as people are now appreciating their original design. This is also bringing a new trend of restomodding, which is to enhance the original car whilst staying true to the design of its era.
RUF are a household name today in the Porsche tuning world but were relatively unheard of outside of Germany in the late 70s and early 80s when they were modifying 911s, until of course the CTR yellowbird arrived. Any 80s Porsche nerd will have fond memories of watching `FASZINATION ON THE NURBURGRING` with Stefan Rosser pedalling the car around in a masterclass of car control, with his prominent white socks clearly showing expertly executed footwork linked to perfect steering inputs.
Prior to this wild machine, their original SCR was a normally aspirated 911 that gave you a hint of its capability from subtle external styling cues but with its mechanical upgrades was really quite different to drive when sat behind the wheel.
GREY AREA
And that brings us neatly to this car, whilst it certainly isn’t a replica of the original Ruf SCR, it does follow a similar theme, as it still looks like an impact bumper era 911 but look more closely and you will see a few subtle details that give a hint to the performance potential that lies within. IROC inspired lightweight bumpers have been fitted reducing weight as has a mid 70s Carrera ducktail adorning the rear to replace the whale tale for that same reason and the lightweight theme continues to the inside with mix of stock 3.2 Carrera, later 964 RS style door cards and Recaro, hardshell, fixed buckets, all trimmed in leather and Alcantara. It is also fully carpeted, so whilst clearly simpler and lighter than the original, there is no stripped out racer vibe going on here.
Lift the front lid, though, and you’ll note the exact opposite with all carpet deleted and a neat central filler for the fuel tank. The front wing mounted fuel filler flap has been expertly deleted during the bodywork and paint process. Keen 911 spotters will note that the starting point for this build is a late 1986 Carrera 3.2, which means it comes equipped with the improved shifter for the 915 gearbox and more efficient larger dashboard vents, which for some will be an important bonus.
Originally black, during the conversion it was painted in Nardo grey with sill covers deleted to remove further weight and to visually expose the oil lines as on earlier cars. The wheels are genuine 16in Fuchs, finished with black centres and together with black window surrounds, compliment the Nardo grey perfectly.
And to the rear, lifting the lightweight ducktail reveals this is no stock engine, the Jenvey throttle bodies do rather give the game away, as does the twin outlet exhaust. The name Nick Fulljames will be familiar to many Porschephiles and this engine is one of his, built to a 3.4-litre spec. Power is quoted at a healthy 251BHP and with just under 2000-miles on the clock, it is now nicely run in. Such a build doesn’t come cheap, so you can be very thankful that someone else has picked up the bill! Highlights include 964 camshafts, heavy duty valve springs and head studs, balanced crank assembly, with ARP big end bolts and the heads have been pre drilled for a twin plug conversion should the next owner decide to upgrade the engine further. The gearbox has also been stripped and rebuilt, with a limited slip differential.
The suspension has, of course also been fully refreshed, with Bilstein dampers fitted and lowered set-up being carried out by Northampton Motorsport. Look carefully at the pics and you will spot Boxster 986 spec four-pot brake callipers fitted too. There are plenty of photos that document the work should you wish to see more.
ON THE ROAD
It’s a riot. Performance is super strong, with a gutsy mix of mid-range torque and rampaging revs should you want to really work the engine, and why wouldn’t you? The gearbox is slick, while the handling is pure 911 with steering that transmits all the feel and nuance of the road through the wheel.
WE SAY
Restomodding is always an individual thing and this 911 has been built with the last owner’s personal vision. Its ready to drive away exactly as is and enjoy, as it’s a cool thing. However, as the hard work has already been done with its recently restored bodyshell and mechanicals, it can also be enhanced further if so desired. Here at Paul Stephens, we can see a case for either scenario, if it’s the latter, then we would be delighted to work with the buyer to personalise further with their own 911 Hot Rod vision.
