1000 HP and a Manual Gearbox: RUF Steals the Show at Goodwood with B8 Test Car

The 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed witnessed the appearance of a car carrying familiar lines for Porsche enthusiasts, but hiding a radically different engineering project beneath its body. The car that is causing a stir is not a modified Porsche in the traditional sense, but rather an experimental prototype developed by the German company RUF Automobile, an independent vehicle manufacturer. Despite its historic design connections to the 911, the company now presents a fundamentally different model under the name B8 Erprober, or test car, serving as a mobile platform for testing future technologies.

A Brand-New Flat-Eight Engine

The car's most distinctive feature is the all-new engine fully developed by RUF in-house, named B8. The letter B denotes a Boxer design, while the number 8 indicates the cylinder count. The engine displaces 4.8 liters, relies on twin turbochargers, and produces over 1000 hp with torque exceeding approximately 1000 Nm. This engine represents a major shift in RUF's history, as the company was linked for decades to flat-six Boxer engines, now unveiling an entirely new powertrain architecture.

Classic Manual Gearbox Meets Modern Power

In a deliberate engineering decision, the company opted for a 6-speed manual gearbox to preserve a direct mechanical feel, instead of relying on a dual-clutch transmission or modern automatic systems. This combination brings together the power of modern hypercars with a driving experience reminiscent of 1990s race cars. The B8 delivers over 1000 hp along with a classic driver's touch, making it a major talking point among visitors at Goodwood.

Why the Classic Looks?

Despite being a modern project, RUF deliberately gave it a classic character through a paint scheme and graphics inspired by the famous CTR Yellowbird, which the company unveiled in 1987. This influence appears in the yellow color and visual details that revive the spirit of 1980s and 1990s cars, while hiding a powertrain that belongs entirely to a different era. However, the body used in the prototype is not a restored classic 911, but rather a lengthened version of the RUF CTR3 modified to accommodate the new engine and serve as a mobile laboratory.

Over 1000 HP, But No Performance Numbers Yet

RUF has not yet disclosed the sprint time from 0 to 100 km/h, top speed, or final weight of the prototype. This is because the car remains in the development and testing phase, currently presented more as a technology platform than a production vehicle. The B8 Erprober can be viewed as a mobile testbed through which the German company explores the limits of the new B8 engine, preparing to transfer these technologies to future models that could mark a new chapter in RUF's history.