Automotive history is full of stories about tuning companies becoming closely associated with upgrading a particular make, and eventually being snapped up by the original automaker. Perhaps the best-known story is that of AMG, which was independent through most of the 20th century, but was fully acquired by Mercedes in the 2000s. The next team-up might come from Porsche, and the potential partner might be a huge surprise.
Porsche Might Buy Ruf, And That’s Not All
Ruf EhraRuf
German news outlet WirtschaftsWoche broke the news of Porsche’s interest in RUF, citing anonymous inside sources. The outlet didn’t share too many details aside from the process for purchasing the company being fairly far along. CarBuzz reached out to Ruf and Porsche for comments, because this is obviously some rather surprising news. We will update this post if new information becomes available.
Additionally, Porsche reportedly talked to American tuning company Singer. That discussion allegedly came before considering Ruf, and the offer was turned down. A representative from Singer declined our request for comment on the matter.
Singer Vehicle Design Reimagined Porsche 911 With Louis VuittonSinger Vehicle Design
Assuming this report is true, the question is, what does Porsche need with a Porsche-tuning company? After all, Porsche isn’t exactly lacking in engineers and development resources, since it’s tied with Volkswagen, one of the largest automakers on the planet. Not only does it build impressive sports cars, but also race cars. We can think of a few possibilities.
In the case of Singer, it could be that Porsche would like some help developing some ultra-exclusive and particularly well-appointed special models. The company is well-known for its attention to detail with custom parts and high-quality materials. Perhaps Porsche is interested in offering in-house classic modification and restoration, areas in which Singer is an expert with a strong reputation. It would also give Porsche a chance to make some money directly from the booming Porsche restomod market.
We actually think Ruf offers more potential, which makes the idea of it being the second choice strange to us. RUF has an even longer history than Singer, with the Ruf family’s business starting in 1939 as a mechanic’s shop. It started to specialize in Porsche service in the 1960s, and the founder’s son, Alois Ruf, Jr., turned toward tuning in the 1970s.
In all this time, besides building a reputation, Ruf has built up its capabilities. It has been rebuilding Porsches into its own modified vehicles, and even creating its own machines. A few years ago, it revived the CTR with Ruf’s own custom carbon-fiber chassis. Just this year, it showed off its own twin-turbocharged flat-8 engine and just launched the Ruf Ehra at Monterey Car Week. Porsche and RUF could create some wild products if they teamed up.
Porsche Already Works With A Tuner Directly
2019 Porsche 911 GT2 RS Manthey Kit has set a new production car lap record at Road AtlantaPorsche
There’s another weird piece to this puzzle. Porsche hasn’t worked directly with either of these companies on in-house products before, but it currently works with a different German tuner doing exactly that. Manthey Racing actively competes with Porsche race cars, and it creates custom parts for road-going Porsches. You can actually purchase Manthey branded and developed upgrade kits direct from Porsche, many of which have been used to give factory Porsches an edge in setting Nürburgring lap times.
The company was founded in the 1990s, so it doesn’t quite have the history of Ruf, but it’s been around longer than Singer. We would also think that experience working with Porsche directly would be valuable, too, for facilitating integration. Of course, if Manthey isn’t interested, the idea is moot.
2026 Porsche Taycan Turbo GT with the Weissach Package and the Manthey KitPorsche
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
As we’ve said, it seems a bit odd that Porsche would feel the need to purchase a whole other company just to create special cars. It has the resources of VW at hand, and it has plenty of special editions every year that prove it can make them on its own. However, these brands have their own special reputations, and they’re reputations that allow them to sell cars at even more remarkable prices than most factory Porsches.
They also play in the restomod space that Porsche doesn’t right now, and Porsche would surely like to take advantage of those brands and markets. The case is probably extra strong as Porsche has lost huge amounts of money pursuing EV development that’s led to slow-selling products. Perhaps Porsche sees acquiring one of these brands as a way to start selling high-profit specialty cars to offset those losses.
Source: WirtschaftsWoche
