This odd machine is a Ruf Freiheit. I saw it in north Beijing in August 2018. The Freiheit looked great in silver with darkened windows and classic five-spoke Ruf racing wheels.
Ruf is a German tuner specializing in Porsche. In 2012, Ruf launched in China. Ruf’s famous president, Alois Ruf, traveled to Guangzhou for the launch, accompanied by his wife, Estonia Ruf, who doubled as Ruf’s vice-president.
Ruf in China
Ruf brought an unusual lineup to China. Besides its standard line of vehicles, it had also developed two China-only models: the Ruf XL, a long-wheelbase Porsche Panamera, and the car we have here, the Ruf Freiheit.
These China-spec cars were not on Ruf’s international websites, only on its separate Chinese site. Ruf opened one shop in China, in the capital Beijing, just northeast of the 4th Ring Road. Ruf chose a cool Chinese name: 如虎, Rúhǔ, which means ‘Like a Tiger’.
The Ruf Freiheit
The Ruf Freiheit is a heavily reworked variant of the Porsche Cayenne with a completely redesigned nose section and a crazy body kit. Ruf made the nose wider, with large air vents and extra light units. The hood and fenders are new as well. Freiheit means Freedom.
In 2012, Ruf said it expected the Freiheit to become its best-seller in China. But there was a problem, which Ruf could have seen coming, had it studied the Chinese market for a minute. Buyers had to wait “between eight months and a year to get the car”. That was too long; a mortal sin in China, Chinese consumers want their car right away, then and today.
Ruf didn’t make any obvious changes to the interior. The cabin looks well-preserved for its age, with black leather seats and some shiny plastic trim.
The owner forgot his bananas.
Specs
Ruf also redesigned the rear, with a new bumper section and two twin-exhaust pipes. The company offered two naturally aspirated engines for the Freigeit: a 2.9-liter V6 with 410 ps and 590 Nm, and a 4.8-liter V8 with 420 ps and 510 Nm. Ruf developed and built these engines in-house.
Sadly, Ruf’s Chinese adventure didn’t end well. Long waiting times and high prices were the main culprits, and the challenging designs didn’t help. It was over in just a few months. I went to the shop in late 2012, and it was closed. As far as I know, Ruf only sold a handful of Freiheits and not a single XL. However, Ruf had been right about that one, because in 2016 Porsche launched the long-wheelbase Panamera Executive, primarily intended for the Chinese market.
The Ruf Freiheit, a truly special car, but it just didn’t work out. However, because so few were sold, it is a super-rare machine now. Who knows, maybe one day, it’ll be worth a lot.