RUF Stuff

German sports car manufacturer RUF Automobile opened its new factory at the Bahrain International Circuit on Friday, taking the opportunity to launch of its all-new flagship model, the RUF CTR3 supercar, at the same time. In becoming the first sports car manufacturer to build a factory in the Middle East, RUF has certainly raised the bar for other manufacturers targeting the region. The factory, designed by the team led by Hermann Tilke, creator of the Bahrain International Circuit, features an eight-storey 34-metre tall glass tower topped with the same iconic Arabic tent roof style as the circuit's grandstands and Sakhir Tower. The tower is flanked by the preassembly and assembly wings, and visiting customers will receive their newly-built RUF model in the VIP lounge on the top floor when the completed car arrives on a spectacular lift. The facility will be the main production facility for the all-new EUR380,000 700 bhp CTR3 – a 3.8-litre twin- turbocharged horizontally-opposed six cylinder car with a 0-100km/h time of 3.2 seconds and a maximum speed of 375km/h. 26 year-old Ben Soderberg burst into an elite group of supercar designers with the arrival of the RUF CTR3. There's also a Q&A with the CTR3 Designer.

The beautifully-designed facility will become a new hub for RUF customers in the Middle East and Asia alongside the marque's traditional home of Pfaffenhausen, situated in southern Germany's Allgäu region.