A local supercar show 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.
What is it?
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. After building the body, each of the 49 RUF RK Spyders was hand built 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.
Design
You’ll notice the low slung windshield which gives the car a more flat, wide and low-slung design. 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 RUF RK Spyder has no optional roof (this owner has a custom tarp), the Poltrona Frau leather is engineered specifically for a convertible. This means it 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 RUF RK Spyder.
Engine and Performance
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.
Pricing and Value
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 lucky enough get an RK Spyder at that price, you’d be set to make a pretty penny. Todays average value today is around $700,000 to $800,000. However, little sales information is currently available due to the rarity of the car.
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