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A Super SUV ahead of it's time

 


Ruf Dakara



A one of Super SUV concept that was manufactured by the German manufacturer Ruf, is based on the Porsche Cayenne. The Ruf Dakara was a super SUV that was way ahead of its time, it was essentially a Lamborghini Urus before the Lamborghini Urus came into existence. I say ahead of its time because this car was based on the 2009 first generation of the Porsche Cayenne turbo S, the very car that helped bring money to keep Porsche afloat. This was an era where people still preferred large sedans over SUVs. The car came with a 4.5L V8 from factory, but Ruf took this very setup and turned it up to a 11. Having said that the car quite literally depicts the phrase beauty and the beast all in one car. The car to many people had questionable styling, featuring headlights from a Porsche 911, extra large fenders to fit the larger wheels and brakes, these very styling elements draws people those who are unaware of what it is away from the mechanical wizardry that Ruf is known for. To know more about the car and the reason behind its inception, one must first learn about Ruf and its origins.



About Ruf Automobile

The original Ruf factory


The story of Ruf’s origin starts off with Alois Ruf Senior and his love for Porsche, the very first car that he rebuilt was a Porsche 356 that happened to speed past his tour bus and crash after loosing control. After rescuing the driver Alois Ruf offered to buy the car and fix it in his garage. He did manage to mend the car back to pristine condition, as the locals saw the results word got around and he later opened a full-fledged garage.


Alios Ruf 

 Ruf differs from other tuners, building and designing everything inhouse at Pfaffenhausen, Germany. Alios Ruf junior was born in 1950 and joined his father at a very early age. In 1975 he built his first car a 911 Carrera RS 3.0, according to his own design. This build caught the attention of many enthusiasts. The first proper build was in 1983 with the BRT. The heart of this car a 3.4-liter RUF turbo engine of 374hp mated to a Ruf developed 5 speed manual transmission. While RUF has always stuck to Porsche chassis, their most prominent car has to be the Ruf CTR a 469hp 3.4-liter twin-turbo monster fitted wit a narrow bright yellow body, earning it the name yellow bird. To this day they remain a unique manufacturer producing some amazing Porsches.

The "yellow Bird" will write about this separately 


About the Ruf Dakara


https://www.rufautomobile.co.uk/ruf-timeline


The Ruf Dakara has a quirky styling to say the least, with the headlights being taken from the Porsche 911, wide Ferrari like front intakes on the bumper, widened fenders and a set of plane jane 5 spoke wheels. To assume that this is just another ugly kitted out Cayenne like some sort of a Mansory Lamborghini Urus is the wrong move. This car is a monster to the say the least when it comes to what it harbors under the bonnet, opening the bonnet will reveal a 4.5 V8 that is married to a six-speed automatic transmission. You may question that this is the same engine found in the regular Cayenne turbo . While you could be right to some extent, however this engine cranks out 600hp and 650-foot pounds of torque that is 50 more than stock.



This mammoth breezes past 60mph (100kmph) in under 4.8 seconds remember this is a 2.4-ton SUV! The tweaked suspension offered by Ruf helped keep this car planted on the road even when it reached its top speed of 180mph (290Kmph). Buyers could also opt to fit their Dakara with carbon-composite brakes.

https://www.thedrive.com/news/ruf-once-made-a-bug-eyed-suv-based-on-the-cayenne-with-600-hp


Placing aside the ambitious styling, one can call it a Porsche Cayenne on steroids. Many may turn away from the Dakara due to its styling but I personally love the wide fenders that fit the large 22-inch alloys. The Dakara wasn’t all about the quirky styling and mechanical wizardry as Ruf managed to spruce up the interior as well, fitting it with new sportier leather seats and high-end multimedia systems.

https://www.thedrive.com/news/ruf-once-made-a-bug-eyed-suv-based-on-the-cayenne-with-600-hp




Conclusion



This mammoth beast did cost a pretty penny with a price tag of $327,853 in 2009 for this SUV, an extra $200,000 more than the stock Cayenne turbo S making this an expensive proposition. The pricing made this a rare car, but it is a car that I would definitely love to own and feel its worthy enough for the payout.

 

https://www.thedrive.com/news/ruf-once-made-a-bug-eyed-suv-based-on-the-cayenne-with-600-hp

 

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Comments

  1. Anonymous10 May 2023 at 21:48

    Very informative, I was not aware of the existence of a brand by this name. Keep it going, it helps us get to know more about the automobile industry.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous11 May 2023 at 20:01

    Very informative article- lot of background details makes it interesting to read! Well done!

    ReplyDelete

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