2006 RUF RGT with Shark Werks 3.9L Engine, Brembo GT Brakes and More

RUF has created legendary cars for years. It's no doubt that when this RGT was first delivered back in the 2006, it was everything a Porsche could hope to be. That's why it's hard to even justify touching this car, and we were skeptical to even bring it in.



We originally took delivery of the car with no specific agenda, just to look into what changes could be made and service any parts that needed attention. The 997 GT3 had not been released yet when this car was produced, so part of our plan was to bring it up to date with more modern parts.



Unfortunately it did not run like RUF had intended. It was rough, stalled at low RPMs and had poor throttle response. The e-gas mapping was done poorly and the power seemed to plateau around 6000 RPMs. It seemed to be the fault of ECU tuning primarily. The exhaust was in bad shape, some of the suspension needed replacing, and the brakes needed an upgrade (stock brakes moved over from the standard 997).

Our customer's goal was to build a track toy and primarily use the car on a track outside the USA. We felt it was important to refresh the engine and re-tune the ECU for maximum power, eventually bumping the power back up by about 100 HP over how it arrived (~40 over stock RGT), with much better throttle response, a upgraded limited slip differential, larger brakes and replacing heim joints and some suspension components.

On the lift it goes...



Here are a couple RUF bits that stand out:



Fender flares:



Yes it's a real, RUF VIN RGT:



Interior:



The original exhaust was a combination of original 996 GT3 and aftermarket parts. The cats were gutted or not operational, and the car left a trail of stinky fumes behind when run.



And engine:



These cars have carbon doors, hood, deck lid, fenders, and wing, integrated rollcage hidden inside the headliner and many other special touches.

One of the coolest looking rear bumpers ever made:


The engine has to come out:





Coming apart:





While waiting for parts we send the differential off to Guard Transmission for rebuild and upgrades:



We also updated to the 4.0L GT3RS clutch and flywheel.

The engine's pretty dirty...



Stock titanium rods.



Stock RUF pistons. This engine was a 3.8L big bore. The pistons were pretty heavy (Mahle), a piston we had tested during our engine development and abandoned when we found better options:



We are going to 3.9L, here are our lighter and higher compression pistons:



Into their home:



The heads were refreshed with new valve guides, lifters and retainers:



The car waits patiently while James finishes up the engine and re-installs.



But we aren't quite done yet. The original brakes are factory 997 brakes, and while these are fine for most people, this RUF's pushing 480 HP now and the Brembo GT kit offers a lot more performance with less weight:




We also changed the exhaust to a 997 GT3 header / catalytic converter, and made a custom version of our track exhaust to fit the special RUF rear bumper. This gives the car a sound similar to a 997 GT3 with our standard track exhaust (shown below instead):



The owner opted for a second set of BBS (CH-R) wheels. Here is she as delivered:





The next 500-miles of the car's life were engine break-in, road testing and tuning. Todd Zuccone from EVOMSit flew in to tune the car for all types of driving, and spent days behind the wheel and in the passenger seat with his computer making fine adjustments.



The result is a more driveable, yet much faster and more modern car, with better brakes and more exotic and better sounding exhaust. It even pollutes less, with functional factory 997 GT3 exhaust headers/cats compared to the original rusted system and Fuchs mufflers, it smells much cleaner and even gets better gas mileage.