Yes, you’ve read that right! German Porsche tuner RUF Automobile has taken the wraps off the B8, its new prototype that’s powered by a flat-eight engine. Better still, all that power is sent to the rear wheels through a proper six-speed manual gearbox!
While RUF has long been synonymous with heavily re-engineered Porsche-based machines, the B8 marks an entirely new chapter. The all-new 4.8-litre twin-turbo flat-eight has been designed and developed completely in-house, making it the company’s first-ever boxer-eight engine. Producing over 1000 bhp and 1000 Nm of torque, the engine effectively combines two flat-four cylinder banks sharing a common crankcase and crankshaft. Despite those staggering figures, RUF has skipped the now-common dual-clutch automatic and instead engineered a six-speed manual gearbox.
The engine has been installed in a heavily modified version of the RUF CTR3, which itself is based on the 987-generation Porsche Cayman. Nicknamed Erprober – German for ‘tester’ – the prototype features a body stretched by around 100 mm to accommodate the larger engine. It also wears a bright yellow livery inspired by the legendary blossom yellow shade of the 1987 CTR Yellowbird, serving as a subtle nod to the company’s heritage.
Flat-eight engines are a rare sight in the automotive world. Porsche experimented with the layout back in the 1960s, using a naturally aspirated boxer-eight engine in its 908 endurance racer, but it never found its way into a road-going car. That’s largely because they’re incredibly difficult to package. Their wide layout takes up a significant amount of space, while routing the intake and exhaust systems around the steering and suspension presents an engineering challenge of its own. In an era where performance cars are increasingly embracing electrification and hybridisation, it’s refreshing to see a manufacturer invest in such an unconventional combustion engine. And if the eventual production car retains this powertrain and its six-speed manual gearbox, it should be nothing short of an absolute riot to drive.
‘There are moments in a company’s history that define the future. For RUF, the Boxer 8 is one of those moments,’ said company founder Alois Ruf. ‘A boxer-eight has never been part of our story, or anyone else’s in this form, so we decided to write a new chapter in automotive history. We look forward to letting the engine speak for itself at Goodwood.’
Production plans remain under wraps, but RUF has confirmed that the B8 is far more than a one-off engineering exercise. The prototype will be used to validate technologies that are expected to underpin the brand’s future halo models. If a production version does make it to the road with this 1000 bhp boxer-eight and a six-speed manual intact, it could well become one of the most exciting driver’s cars, period.
