Ruf is synonymous with Porsche, but not all Porsches. The company that modified the 911 in so many ways that it had to start building its own cars from scratch has rarely touched the rest of the Porsche catalog, which is why there’s just one Ruf-modified 928 in existence.
The sole 1989 Ruf Porsche 928R will be among the lots at Gooding Christie’s Amelia Island auction and is expected to bring $400,000 to $500,000. That’s impressive money for a 928, which has always trailed Porsche’s traditional boxer-engine models in value. Introduced in 1977 as the first production V8 Porsche, and indeed the only one until the introduction of the Cayenne, it nonetheless stayed in production for about 20 years, angering purists the whole way.
Like other Ruf builds, the 928R started as a body-in-white delivered by Porsche to the smaller company’s shop in Pfaffenhausen, Germany. Ruf applied its own tune to the 5.0-liter V8, extracting 360 horsepower and 354 lb-ft of torque. That’s a healthy increase over the sportiest 928 S4, which made 316 hp and 317 lb-ft.
The car does have a four-speed automatic transmission, but that’s in keeping with a luxurious vibe. It’s also got a power sunroof, automatic climate control, and rear-seat air conditioning—not exactly things you’d want in a track car. And that’s because the 928R was bought new, not by an aspiring racer or autobahn junkie, but former Samsung chairman Lee Kun-Hee.
According to the auction listing, the 928R was thought to have been reacquired by Ruf and undergone a “mechanical recommissioning” around 2021 (one year after Lee’s death). The current 19-inch wheels were fitted at that time, along with carbon-ceramic brakes and a new exhaust system and radio.
The 928 definitely deserves more love than it got when new, but the pre-auction estimate likely reflects this car’s uniqueness. Ruf has done one-offs before, but this car is probably nicer to drive than the company’s T4 Volkswagen Transporter. And as far as Ruf projects not based on the 911, it’s a lot more attractive than the Dakara, a bug-eyed version of the Cayenne that admittedly predicted the super-SUV craze.
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