Ruf-Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet: Turbo fright with a compressor kit from Ruf

E in a perfectly functioning system to the substance there is undoubtedly something presumptuous about going and thereby overriding the original. Because - these are the anxious questions - what if ...? And who does if ...? And above all: Why change something that already exists when there are higher-level systems from the same company, i.e. stronger alternatives?

Ruf performance increase to 445 PS

The PS upgrade from Ruf to the basic version of the 325 PS Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet must be based on other reasons than purely factual considerations - such as the long-term love for this one special object. Or the desire, with maximum visual restraint, to be equipped with motoric means, with the help of which even the strongest of the genre can stand up.

Maybe it's just the name that arouses the desire: after all, not everyone is allowed to drive a Ruf-Porsche, even if in this case there is no significant visual evidence that it is one such acts. Intimate connoisseurs of the subject will, however, notice that the basic Carrera is not equipped with the traditional black, but with red brake calipers and the larger brake discs of the S model - a first indication that this convertible is not only used for decelerating open-top driving should.

Also on the robust, one could also say: the vicious sound of the 3.6-liter boxer can be inferred from idling that it is glowing red - but only if the flap exhaust is switched to draft Example of visual restraint has something very special about it. The hidden horsepower cure is based on the holistic method that Ruf has always used, which, surprisingly, is carried out almost entirely in the narrowest of all engine compartments. The Rotrex centrifugal compressor, which is implanted above the engine block between the completely redesigned intake manifolds and driven by a poly-rip belt, is designed to pressurize the combustion chambers of the two cylinder banks with a maximum of 0.7 bar.

Mechanics of the boxer engine remain untouched

The mechanics of the boxer engine remain untouched, only the compression is reduced from 11.3: 1 to 10.0: 1. The outstanding aspect of this far-reaching measure is not so much the nominal increase in performance(445 versus 325 HP and 470 versus 370 Newton meters) rather than the optically elegant and technically polished type of implantation. The completely new intake system, modified injection valves, catalytic converters with higher throughput, a modified control unit, the reinforced clutch and the water-cooled intercooler (which are supplied with the coolant from the cooling system that extends to the front spoiler via an electric pump) - all of this goes without saying into the overall system of the basic Carrera.

Subjectively, little or nothing can be felt from the presence of a compressor - apart from the significantly increased power output. The power delivery and the response behavior are very similar to that of the naturally aspirated engine. No whistling or singing, just a sound reminiscent of a guttural gurgling when the boost pressure builds up indicates the external centrifugal compressor. In terms of numbers, the increase in performance is most clearly expressed in the sprint to 200 km /h: While the series convertible needs 14.9 seconds at up to 180 km /h, the model with a reputation makes do with 12.0 seconds. With 14.4 seconds to 200 km /h it even undercuts the current Carrera S-Coupé with PDK transmission, which has been subjected to the super test, by half a second. This is noteworthy insofar as the convertible, due to its design, weighs around 100 kilograms more than the coupe. Equipped in this way, the supercharged Carrera is roughly on par with the Turbo Cabriolet - but without showing its extrovertedness.

Lap time of 1.14.2 minutes on the short circuit in Hockenheim

The lap time of 1.14.2 minutes driven with the Ruf Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet in Hockenheim is a surprise in that it was not only driven with a normal Pirelli P Zero Rosso, but with a chassis setup that - except for a track widening of two centimeters each - corresponds exactly to that of the standard Carrera Cabriolet. This proves two things: Even the basic Carrera has excellent requirements, and the accelerator contributed by Ruf has a direct positive effect on both the possible longitudinal and lateral acceleration.