A local supercar show in New Hampshire brings out your usual suspects of supercars, however, one Porsche stood out in particular. It was bright orange, and had a tarp for a roof (it had been raining). It was the ultra-rare 2006 RUF RK Spyder.
Being 1 of only 49 ever made, it was a rare sight indeed. While the car may somewhat resemble Porsche’s popular 987 Boxster/Cayman, the body on the RUF RK Sypder is completely unique to the car. Custom built by Studiotorino in Turin, Italy, the RK Sypder uses all new materials like steel sheets and carbon fiber to form to the uniquely designed body. After the body was built, each of the 49 RUF RK Spyders were hand assembled at the RUF factory in Germany. Besides the new body design, there are a few other unique details on the RUF RK Spyder that make the car truly stand out.
You’ll notice the low slung windshield which gives the car a more flat, wide and low-slung design – one that resembles the Ferrari Dino and Porsche 904. The forged-aluminum fuel tank lid on the front hood is a standout detail, in my opinion. The custom Poltrona Frau orange leather upholstered interior brings a sense of ultimate luxury to what’s a true sports car. While the RK Spyder has no optional roof (this owner had a custom tarp), the Poltrona Frau leather was engineered specifically for a convertible and minimizes heat intake so the leather wrapped carbon fiber seats won’t get too hot. The different colored paint stripe along the rear of the car, 5-spoke wheels, and big BREMBO brakes are also all unique to the RK Spyder.
Of course with RUF, the focus of all these modifications is always the engine. Ruf said see you later to the 987 Boxster/Cayman engine, and dropped in the 3.8 liter flat-6 from the Porsche 997 911. They didn’t stop there though. RUF also supercharged the engine, bringing horsepower up to 420. For a car that weighs just 3,086 lbs, you can launch from 0-60 miles-per-hour in 4.3 seconds. For context, a stock 987 Boxster/Cayman does 0-60 in 6 seconds. Top speed is an 178mph – which I’m sure feels a lot faster when there’s no roof.
In 2006 the RUF RK Spyder came at a cost of about $160,000 USD. At the same time, a Cayman S, the car in which the RK was based on, had a price tag around $40,000 USD. The incredibly limited production number and extensive modifications being the reason for this massive price increase. If you were one of the lucky 49 to get an RK Spyder at that price, you’re set to make a pretty penny as average value today is around $700,000 to $800,000, though little sales information is available due to the rarity of the car.
