Is RUF a Manufacturer or a Tuner?
RUF Automobile GmbH is an independent automobile manufacturer based in Pfaffenhausen, Bavaria.
That is not a marketing claim. It is a legal and technical distinction, and it is the reason a RUF is not simply a modified Vehicle.
Alongside manufacturing complete automobiles, RUF continues to carry out conversions, restorations and performance work on vehicles - the work the company built its name on. Few companies have made the transition from specialist engineering to recognised manufacturer while continuing to do both.
We are the official RUF partner in the United Kingdom, appointed in 2016, and work directly with the factory in Pfaffenhausen. What follows is written from that position rather than assembled from secondary sources.
The three things people call a "RUF"
Almost every misunderstanding in the market comes from these three categories being used interchangeably. They are not the same thing.
RUF manufacturer car - an automobile manufactured and identified by RUF, carrying RUF's own vehicle identification. Its identity originates with RUF, not with a donor car.
RUF factory conversion - a vehicle comprehensively rebuilt and re-engineered by RUF to a defined RUF specification. A genuine RUF product, documented by the factory, but a different category from the above.
A vehicle fitted with RUF parts - carrying individual RUF components, not converted by the factory. Frequently, and incorrectly, advertised as "a RUF".
All three can be desirable cars. They are not interchangeable, and the difference shows up in provenance, rarity, registration identity and value.
