- The 3.4-liter turbocharged flat-six was rebuilt with all-new internal components.
- Its original owner held onto the car for 34 years before selling it in 2024.
- The BTR III has covered just 48 km since the restoration, located in California.
Decades before today’s restomod crowd showed up, Ruf was already the place to take a Porsche if you wanted it turned up several notches. Founded in the late 1930s as a general repair shop, it later evolved into a manufacturer focused on reworking Porsche models, launching its first complete car in 1977. Over the years, Ruf has produced some remarkable machines, many of which are now highly sought-after collector’s items
One of the firm’s more intriguing creations might have slipped under your radar. It’s a 1985 Porsche 911 Carrera Targa reworked to BTR III specification, and it stands alone as a one-off. Fresh from a comprehensive restoration, it feels inevitable that interested buyers will be lining up to take a closer look.
Read: This Ruf CTR Yellowbird Sold for $6.1 Million, 41 Times Its Original Value
Ruf originally converted the car to BTR III specification in 1990, updating it with a new front spoiler and a Turbo-inspired rear spoiler. It also sits on 17-inch Ruf Speedline wheels and has an upgraded 3.4-liter turbocharged flat-six engine. Delivering 408 hp, this unit is coupled to a five-speed manual transmission.
Restored And Factory Fresh
The car was kept by its original owner until 2024, then changed hands and was comprehensively restored by SV Automotive Engineering. As part of this restoration, the car was repainted, a number of suspension upgrades were made, and the brakes were overhauled.
Inside, new carpeting was fitted, and several parts were either refreshed or replaced. Among the key original features are a Ruf air conditioning system, a Blaupunkt cassette stereo with upgraded speakers, and a leather-wrapped Ruf steering wheel.
As part of the restoration, the engine was also rebuilt with new pistons, cylinders, valves, valve springs, retainers, bearings, fuel and oil lines, and timing changes. Heck, even the turbocharger and wastegate were rebuilt.
PCarmarket
PCar Market is handling the sale, noting the 911 has covered 46,100 km (28,645 miles) since new and now resides in La Verne, California. Since completing its restoration, it’s added a mere 48 km (30 miles), which is hardly enough to warm the oil, let alone justify the work that’s gone into it.
That leaves it effectively untouched since the rebuild, which feels almost criminal. Someone should probably fix that. Go take a closer look at the listing over here and see if this one-off Ruf deserves a spot in your garage.
