RUF Ehra is a Porsche 911-shaped tribute to the fastest road in the world
RUF’s paying tribute to the proving ground where the Yellowbird – as well as every modern Bugatti – set top speed records
RUF stands apart from the modern crowd of Porsche 911 restomodders and modifiers, not just because it’s been in the game since before the cars that are being restored today were new, but because its flagship projects aren’t really Porsche 911s at all. The new RUF Ehra, revealed at The Quail during Monterey car week, is the latest and like the CTR Anniversary, the SCR, the Rodeo and the Tribute, sits on its own carbonfibre monocoque chassis.
At a distance the Ehra is a less extreme RUF, shorn of any whale tail and without any extreme aero addenda. However, you then notice the intakes over its rear haunches, seen first on the CTR anniversary, the intakes in the quarter windows and the sheer width of the thing. Indeed it is wider than the CTR, by 58mm at the front and 54mm at the rear.
There are new carbonfibre front and rear bumpers (the whole body is carbon) and instead of a large fixed item, there’s a small deployable carbon panel over the engine. The five-spoke forged alloy wheels feature centrelocks and have been refined to enhance brake cooling at speed. Tyres are Michelin Pilot Sport 4S, spanning a massive 325-section at the rear, 245 at the front.
The Ehra features a 3.6-litre twin-turbo flat-six good for 641bhp and 664lb ft, more modest figures than the CTR Anniversary's 700bhp+. That power goes to all four wheels via a fully variable all-wheel-drive system, a limited-slip diff at the rear and a seven-speed manual transmission. The bespoke chassis allows a double wishbone suspension set-up at the front and rear – like a modern 992 GT3 – with Carrera GT-style pushrod horizontal adaptive dampers.
The exterior is finished in subtle Liquid Silver while the interior is all brown and tan, with a ‘Pasha’ chequered pattern on the distinctive foldable ‘lollypop’ carbonfibre bucket seats. The pedals are titanium, the dials are distinctive green RUF items and there’s ‘Ehra’ branding everywhere. It’s a pretty piece and a car that’s intended to be skilled in touring and high-performance driving.
It’d be understandable if the meaning of the Ehra name didn’t land straight away, so here’s the explainer. It’s a reference to Ehra-Lessien, the proving ground in Germany that features a 5.4-mile straight on which the original CTR achieved its 211mph top speed. More famously since, the McLaren F1, Bugatti Veyron, Veyron Supersport and Chiron Supersport, all set their top speed records at the facility.
That 1987 test, conducted by Road & Track magazine with a number of other supercars and tuner cars, is also where the CTR got its ‘Yellowbird’ nickname. It came courtesy of the photographers on the test, the nickname a commentary on how its paint stood out in the otherwise dull conditions. The new car and its ‘Ehra’ name are also a tribute to Phil Hill, 1961 Formula 1 World Champion and the man who set the top speed record in the CTR.
The Ehra debuts alongside a number of significant RUF models at The Quail, where the final of the 50 CTR Anniversary models is being delivered, in addition to an SCR, Rodeo and CTR3 Evo supercar.
