The RUF Rodeo is a Carbon Fiber Take on the Safari 911

Since registering as a manufacturer in the late 1970s the creations of Alois Ruf have avoided, at a legal level, being Porsche 911s. Though they may look like 911s, often sound quite like 911s, are made of 911 parts, and probably even smell like 911s the pfolks from Pfeffenhausen are distinct from those in Stuttgart. Since launching their carbon fiber architecture with the new CTR and SCR in recent years, the cars have reached for new levels of being uniquely RUF.

Like the two earlier cars the Rodeo features RUF’s bespoke carbon fiber structure which should keep weight very low, despite carrying RUF’s first in-house all-wheel-drive to afford the car some off-road capability. RUF has not quoted a weight for the Rodeo, though given the SCR’s 2,775 pound curb weight it will likely come in around the 3,000 pound mark- give or take the presence of a roofrack and rear decklid-mounted entrenching tool.

Power is from the same 510 horsepower, 347 lb-ft of torque 4.0-liter naturally-aspirated flat-six found in the SCR, and drive is sent to the fore and aft wheels via a six-speed manual transaxle. Torque split is driver controlled via a center console-mounted knob. Alois has alluded to the car being available with the CTR’s turbocharged mill, giving the car a 200 horsepower bump. Even with the sophisticated pushrod-actuated suspension installed Michelin all-terrain rubber we suspect a turbocharged Rodeo would be a monumental handful on loose surfaces.

A walk-around of the car with Alois and his wife Estonia Ruf, who helped to design the car goes into some detail about the design choices. Like the exterior, the cabin is quite extroverted with a mixture of saddle leather, Alcantara, and Navajo blankets.

RUF has not officially announced yet if the Rodeo will enter production. RUF’s current models, the naturally-aspirated SCR and turbocharged CTR, both sell for approximately $800k (sources vary), so we speculate that the Rodeo would be in the vicinity of its counterparts should RUF commence building a series of them.

Images from Ruf Automobile