2006 Ruf Boxster 3.8S X51 Conversion
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AutoWeek | Published 11/20/06, 10:19 am et

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AT A GLANCE:2006 RUF BOXSTER 3.8S X51 CONVERSION
ON SALE: Now
BASE PRICE: $38,900 conversion; $54,700 for 2006 Boxster S
DRIVETRAIN: 3.8-liter, 381-hp, 306-lb-ft H6; rwd, six-speed manual
CURB WEIGHT: 2985 lbs (est.)
0 TO 60 MPH: 4.0 seconds (est.)
FUEL MILEAGE: 20 mpg (est.)

"The last time we visited Wayne Corley, sales director for the Ruf Auto Centre in Dallas, we got to put our Pilotis to the pedals of the Ruf Rt12, a 650-hp turbocharged rendition of the 997 that can out-sprint a Carrera GT (“650-hp Daily Driver,” May 8). So it didn’t take much convincing when Corley called recently offering us some seat time in Ruf’s latest project, which he described as “the most fun car we make.”

Even more enticing was that this car was the first of its kind built by Ruf, and that its owner, Shane Johnson, lives in Southern California. For once, the U.S. was getting the good stuff first.

But wait a minute; Corley said this was a 987S conversion, Porsche-speak for the latest Boxster iteration. Sheesh, not even the stiffer Cayman chassis. How much fun can that be compared to the megawatt 911s that Ruf has built its reputation on? It didn’t take us long to find out.

From the outside, Johnson’s car looks pretty much like any other 2006 Boxster S. It does wear a set of Ruf-design 19-inch alloy wheels (8.5 inches wide in front and 10 at the rear) and rides a bit closer to the road, thanks to a set of Ruf lowering springs. Up close, you can spot the discreet Ruf badge on the front trunk lid. Open that lid and you will see where Alois Ruf scrawled his signature and verification that this is the first 3.8S X51 Ruf conversion.

Don’t expect many more clues in the cockpit. The Ruf motif is low-key, confined to a shift knob, pedal set and logo doorsills. Johnson’s self-styled rendition of the logo fills a gap on the center stack where he replaced the factory audio system with an aftermarket one.

It’s when your left hand twists the key and your right foot pushes the accelerator that you understand what makes this Boxster so special. The Ruf guys have stuffed in the 355-hp 3.8-liter engine from the 997 Carrera S complete with the optional factory X51 power kit that boosts output to 381 hp.

Not that everything just fell into place. Ruf has installed the 3.6-liter 911 engine in earlier versions of the Boxster, but mating the 3.8-liter with the latest Boxster chassis involved a whole new set of wiring and plumbing issues to be solved. Hans Hoffman, Ruf’s technical guru in Dallas, advises anyone with a pre-2005 Boxster contemplating a 3.8S conversion that the main wiring buss for the ECU is completely different, and they are better off trading up to a later model Boxster–what Johnson did with his 2000 Boxster S.

Besides custom making the motor mounts, modifying the ECU and facing a “bit of a challenge” with the wiring harness, Hoffman said the the intake tubing of the 987S did not match up with the housing for the mass airflow sensor of the 997S engine. The engine ran okay, but—to be perfect—a new housing had to be designed.

Ruf also installed a new ceramic-coated exhaust system. The car passed its California emissions test.

The result is a Boxster S with a more muscular, but mellow exhaust tone and a powerband that Johnson aptly describes as feeling like a Boxster S with its torque curve stepped up a level. Third gear will handle just about all of your daily driving needs, but you might find yourself working the shifter just to revel in the complete range of the husky exhaust notes and relish the instantaneous reply to the whim of your throttle foot. Pardon the poetic waxing, but Corley is absolutely right: This is definitely one of the most fun cars we have driven.

Everything works so well together. Call it a harmonic convergence of power, acceleration, sound and handling finesse. It easily gobbled up the tight and torturous curves of the Ortega Highway. It may not be as brutally fast as the Rt12—not much is—but considering Porsche quotes a 4.5-second 0-to-60-mph time for the same engine in the 300-plus pound heavier 997, its acceleration is in exotic-car territory. With a car that has two trunks, a convertible top and everyday reliability. And can be serviced at any Porsche dealer.

Johnson got the first Boxster, but you could be the first to have an X51 Cayman, and maybe even more fun. "