What if RUF built a Volkswagen Beetle?

Any car guy with even a slight interest in Porsches would have heard of the legendary German tuning house, RUF. Alois Ruf Jr. took over his father’s business when he passed away in 1974, and about a year later, the world was graced with the presence of the first ever RUF tuned Porsche. RUF is now an independent manufacturer that takes unmarked Porsche base cars (bodies in white as the industry calls them) and turns them into what can only be referred to as art on four wheels.

The Turbo 3.3, the first ever RUF-tuned Porsche

(via Supercar Nostalgia)

To give you an idea of how mental today’s RUF cars are, here's a fun fact: 7 out of their 8 current (2021) models can do 200mph. Let that sink in… Anyway, today we’re not here to talk about a RUF Porsche. The car we’re here to talk about today isn’t a true RUF, it’s a 2002 Volkswagen Beetle ‘Turbo S’ built by Steve Gaspar with the help of RUF USA and modified in the style of the legendary Alois Ruf. The list of mods on this car is pretty extensive, so I’ve dedicated a couple of pictures via RMC Miami just to cover all of the best bits.

Steve’s VW Beetle ‘Turbo S’

(via newbeetle)

The so-called Ruf Bug was making a pretty strong 225hp from its 1.8L 4 cylinder with all the mods done to it. Apart from the engine and performance mods, the most impressive aspect of this car (to me at least) is the sheer attention to detail that went into the build of this car. The interior features a whole host of billet aluminium parts that look simply magnificent and contrast perfectly against the custom black leather Recaro Sportster CS seats. I think this car is immensely unique and as a certified Volkswagen nut, I can’t stop staring at it.