CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK

THE RUF TRIBUTE IS MORE THAN THE AIR-COOLED TURBO YOU WISH PORSCHE STILL MADE.

- MIKE DUFF

A. (Previous pages) Design from the 20th century, technology from the 21st, and an air-cooled engine.

B. Double-handclap wipers are well suited to an original 993-generation windshield.

C. The bodywork is a carbon-fiber "hat" that fits over the carbon monocoque and steel safety cage.

D. The peace around Pfaffenhausen is often broken by the sound of Rufs on test.

E. A family business: Estonia, Alois, and Aloisa next to the Tribute and the original Yellow Bird.

F. Ruf also works on older cars, such as this 964-based CTR2 prototype.

THE RUF TRIBUTE IS A RIDDLE. It looks, sounds, and often drives like an Eighties Porsche 911 Turbo, but it is not. Instead, it is a brand-new car that, despite the stringent legal demands of the modern world, is powered by an air-cooled, twin-turbocharged flat-six. So, is this new-old kinda-911 a worthy successor to the similar cars that made Ruf famous?

The answer comes on a derestricted stretch of autobahn close to Ruf's headquarters in Pfaffenhausen, Bavaria. Traffic clears from the passing lane to leave me looking over the Tribute's hood at more than a kilometer of empty space. A half second later, the floor-hinged throttle pedal is against its stop. The engine note hardens, and the boost gauge flicks deep into positive territory, acceleration building after a beat as the turbos build pressure.