RUF Plays Rough with Porsche Off-Road Rodeo Tribute

• German Porsche Specialist RUF joins sports car manufacturers around the world with an off-road version of its iconic road car.

• The Rodeo was unveiled at The Quail.

• No word on pricing or availability yet.

RUF Automobile has been a Porsche specialist since 1963, longer than most of us have been alive. But it has never gone off road, until now.

Joining the throngs heading into the dirt—every maker from Lamborghini with the Sterrato to Porsche AG with its own Dakar—RUF now offers the Rodeo, the maker’s take on a 911 for the dirt.

RUF showed the Rodeo at The Quail Motorsports Gathering in Carmel this morning, a model that follows RUF’s own concept of the same name that debuted in 2020. This is the production version of that car, based on RUF’s own carbon-fiber monocoque, enhanced throughout for desert duty.

The Rodeo’s fully adjustable all-wheel-drive system was designed and engineered in-house by RUF to allow the driver to shift torque from front to rear and back again as conditions require. Driveline adjustments can be made from a dedicated screen on the center console.

Power comes from a RUF-developed turbocharged 3.6-liter flat six making 610 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. The Rodeo rides on double-wishbone pushrod-activated coilovers and electronically adjustable dampers at all four corners. A set of 235/55/R18 Goodyear all-terrain tires with the RUF logo in raised white letters further enhance desert durability. Brakes are carbon ceramic all around. Ride height has even been raised to 9.5 inches.

With a curb weight of 2,756 pounds, that combination promises lots of fun in the dirt.

Inside, in typical German understanding of Western Americana, is a “whimsical collection of patterns and colors (that) extends to the seats, dashboard, doors, and headliner… The leather graining and stitch work were carefully crafted in Pfaffenhausen to evoke a nostalgic reference to the American Old West and its ‘do anything, go anywhere’ ethos,” RUF promises.

“We wanted to create a car that evokes a sense of nostalgia while benefitting from the thrill of modern technology that can let you go anywhere,” says Alois Ruf Jr. “We have a deep sense of connection to the beauty of the American West and wanted to honor that in the Rodeo. And, most importantly, we wanted to create something fun.”

To that we say, “Yee Haw, mein Freund.”