RUF has revealed its first eight-cylinder boxer engine at the 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed. The 4.8-litre twin-turbocharged unit produces more than 1000 horsepower and 1000Nm of torque, equivalent to 738lb ft.
Known as the Boxer 8 or B8, the engine is installed in a modified RUF CTR3 that has been lengthened by 100mm to accommodate it. Drive is sent through a six-speed manual transmission. The prototype is not intended for production in its current form. RUF describes it as a development testbed for powertrain technologies expected to appear in a future model, although the company has not disclosed a production timetable or further details of the car that may eventually use the engine.
The development vehicle is known internally as the Erprober, meaning tester. It will take part in the Goodwood Supercar Run twice each day from Friday July 10 to Sunday July 12, driven by Tanner Foust. The car will also be displayed in the event’s Supercar Paddock. RUF says the public runs form part of its normal development process, during which prototypes cover thousands of kilometres before a production car is released. Motul has supported the B8 programme through its role as RUF’s lubricant partner.
“There are moments in a company’s history that define the future,” said company owner Alois Ruf. “For RUF, the Boxer 8 is one of those moments. A boxer-eight has never been part of our story, so we decided to write a new chapter.”
The choice of a CTR3 as the test car allows RUF to develop the engine in a mid-engined platform with sufficient space for the longer powertrain; the CTR3 was introduced in 2007 as the company’s first model with a bespoke body and chassis rather than one derived directly from a production Porsche. RUF has not detailed any further changes to the chassis, suspension, cooling system or brakes required for the B8 installation.
The test car carries a yellow, black and grey livery developed by Aloisa Ruf with Optima Batteries. Its base colour refers to the Blossom Yellow used by the 1987 RUF CTR Yellowbird, while the flowing graphics incorporate repeated figure-eight forms. “When designing the B8 livery, I wanted the graphics to tell the story of the car before anyone heard the engine,” said Aloisa Ruf. “The flowing form of the number eight became a natural symbol for the new boxer eight-cylinder and the development process.”
More details can be found here.
