First off, his pants match his car!! Second, he's so passionate and knowledgeable that you don't want the interview to end and I think it's a safe bet Mr. Ruf didn't want the interview to end either!! What an absolute pleasure to watch!! Thank you for sharing Johnny!! 🙏
Many thanks for this comment. Yeah, Alois really gave us all of his attention and it's impossible not to feel the passion when he showed us around the car. It's a beautiful story of a car that's up there with one of the most significant. I mean, the oldest surviving '911', and ex Hans Metzger?!
So the bloke at helm of probably the most famous Porsche tuning company in history is also one of the most friendly and humble men Jonny has ever interviewed. What an absolute dude.
Agree. He was extremely modest, but the thing that impressed Jonny the most was that he must have regained these stories dozens of tines before, but yet still delivered them with bright eyed passion.
@@TheLateBrakeShow I was thinking exactly this, he must have told that same story hundreds of times, but he souded like, and 100% was, genuinely exited to be telling it again.
That wasn't an interview, that was an owner sharing his passion for the car to a fellow enthusiast. He wanted to tell you everything about the car in exact detail and it really felt like the cameras weren't there, just two people geeking out on something special. Wonderful to watch (and I'm not a Porsche person!).
I'm not even much into Porsche but I could listen to him for hours, what an absolute legend of a man. So passionate, THIS is what a petrolhead looks like. Cheers Mr S, really enjoyed this one.
I also had no idea of the story around that car, i always taught its just one of the 901 build. But a few weeks a go i was at RUF for 1 week and in the evening i was in Mr Rufs office and asked him a few bits abut the 901 and that the 901 all had a slightly different engine than the 911(hollow camshafts for ois supply). Then he just handed me a book called 901. I asked him if it can be bought anywhere, but he said "there is just one of it, its about 901 history and the full restoration of quickblau at RUF". He gave me the book and i read it in the evening, i was blown away that this particular car was used and owned by Hans Mezger and Ferdinand Piech and ended up to be his first car as he was 18, i mean what a story. Lovely man, with also very lovely and nice employees.
The story is just crazy. Like you say Jonny, he was meant to be a Porsche guy. Great to see how passionate he is about the car. The way he chats to the cameraman too. Awesome interview 😎👍
Having been a guest at his factory on a couple of occasions I’ve been lucky enough to have met & had lunch with this man and he is ALWAYS as charming and passionate as he comes across here. A true legend in the Porsche world and an engineering genius into the bargain. ❤
Guy, this is a lovely thing to say. We keep trying to fill this channel with variety, and that means both metal and the people behind the metal. Alois Ruf was nothing but a joy to meet.
What a lovely man, and still great passion for the cars. I remember reading in the magazines about the Yellowbird back then, an amazing car even by modern standards. Glad that you had this chance to speak with him and show us this very interesting car. Thanks Jonny!
Met his wife at the factory while the ruf rodeo was being built and it was an amazing experience. The whole family is extremely friendly and passionate about what they do. Big respect to the RUF family.
I was at RR-2023 myself and I spent nearly the entire time going around with my 20yr old son and showing him all of the tiny details and defifferences in all of the cars in terms of correct OE parts, the quality of restoration, etc. etc. When I made my way around the corner from the 550 section, at first I thought oh that's a clean car, then as I got closer I was drawn in by just how fantastic the QUALITY of this car and its restoration is. History and special early details aside, this car is in the top 1% of correctly and meticulously restored cars - which it of course deserves.
What a great guy, you asked the right questions too Johnny when you got a chance. His enthusiasm was great and was obviously at ease and found pleasure talking with you about it. Great snippet of historical greatness.
True that. Literal opposite of Butzi Porsche the designer of 911. That dude was straight up nazi - voluntary member of SS no less. Not only that - after he came out of prison for war crimes he started to employ his SS buddies in Porsche company. What is not to like ;)
What a brilliant interview and what a lovely guy Alois Ruf seems to be. It’s great to see his unwavering passion for his stunning 901, what a great history it’s had too.
Alois Ruf is an absolute legend in the Porsche community. Seems like a very passionate and genuine car guy. Lots of great content about his creations on RU-vid. Look up Ruf yellow bird, especially the one showing it lapping the 'Ring. Great interview!
Johnny, i know it's impossible to replicate, but this video is great for seriously involved car nuts. Real car history, from a real car guy, who lived it for real. A real car story with a plot of several steps of luck and humanity too. All with your signature casual style. This is a gem. Keep it archived. you'll want it again in 20 years.
Fantastic! I so enjoy speaking with people who really know their car inside and out, I wish you could do this again, looking at Ruf and their business, Jonny. 😊
What a lovely man Mr Ruf is! Such a passion for detail and such a brilliant raconteur. I am sure we all wish him a continued long and happy life. Thank you Jonny for one of the best interviews I have ever seen!!
What a fabulous gentleman Jonny . And he obviously had a lot of respect for you , otherwise he would not have spentnso much time with you . Happy days !
Great story and interview Jonny. What a passionate guy he is! I had the pleasure of shooting one of the three 901's launched at the Paris Auto Salon that Alois Ruf then acquired and restored. Currently under the custodianship of the great team at Export 56 in Bedfordshire.
What a fascinating guy. His passion for the car is evident. My into to RUF (like many of my age) was gran turismo. I loved throwing the Yellow bird about. Thank you that man.
You must have been so happy filming this great Video. What a wonderful, informed and passionate man. Could have listened to him for hours. AND what a gorgeous and pure car.
That was fab, what a great guy, had read about Ruf before and how they started off by fixing damaged Porsches but to stumble on the 901 and as a kid drive it is amazing. I’m sure he fully enjoyed the car at that age and so the car has lived a life. Great interview Johnney and as a 993 owner loved the super info:)
Wonderful video. This reminds me of Ben Collins' recent interview with Jody Scheckter where he was talking about his F1 car collection as he prepared to sell the cars off. Such knowledge and humility is rare to see these days and what a beautiful restoration job too.
Wow Jonny, i think you just had one of the nicest privileges to chat/interview Mr.Ruf, he's an encyclopedia of history on the 901 prototype , like a friend of mine says it's a life car, I don't remember you interviewing anyone so down to earth and interesting, a magnificent man and car, Pants and paint job to match you don't get more Motor head than that 👍
Was lucky enough to meet Mr ruff, and all we spoke about was family n business n obviously Porsche. One of the nicest enthusiast/masters I’ve ever met!
I hat amazing interview Johnny, and what a man, none of the usual BS just pure passion and down to earth, I would love to see you doing a full interview with Mr Ruf, he was a true gearhead
Fantastic interview! I think it's great when someone can tell you the history of a car and about the subtle differences between prototype and production versions, and what a gorgeous restoration job, too!
Another great video, fascinating to hear about all the small details, and what an amazing story behind that car. It's almost like fate that it ended up in his hands.
jonny, my son and i were in monterey just days after you shot this and we saw this car parked on the street in downtown monterey! the front number plate explained what it was. sooo cool. it was parked in front of a new Ruf BTR2 (which had no plates whatsoever). soooo cool that you got to meet Alois and talk to him about this car, and thanks for posting this as i wanted to know more about the story behind it!
Wow, what a great interview and a very interesting ownership history, i could imagine Ferdinand Piëch driving this Car when Mr Ruf & his father first saw this car on the road, An amazing experience!
What a remarkable and passionate man and I genuinely appreciate your effort and time to showcase this masterpiece of car history. Thanks so much and keep doing what you’re doing. Love it!
I was first introduced to RUF on Gran Turismo 3 as an 8 year old. What on Earth are these Porsches that aren’t Porsches? One virtual drive later and all became clear. Awesome cars. The yellow bird and CTR2 were nigh on unbeatable on the game, which was pretty much the case in real life too!
I spent most of my time spinning backwards into a barrier on the 'ring in the Yellow bird in Gran Turismo. That thing was so tricky to drive, but wow it was quick.
What an interesting guy,nice chilled out interview but very informative about Ruf history and showing how astute their development has been. Thanks Jonny🎉
A joy to talk to such an enthusiastic and knowledgeable owner/driver/builder. He is quite like a German version of Ivan Dutton! Listening to him is so interesting and he is far better to interview than some of the other car experts you have featured….one or two were like listening to paint drying! 😃😃😃
What an absolute legend of a guy. He sooooooo didn't want the interview to end. You should have a kinda fireside chat with him sometime, JS. Whether it was an hour or longer, it would be a total joy to listen to him. Please do it!
brilliant interview. loved the history of the car, the story and the fact its been restored exactly back to original. no extra stuff bolted on or improved... just like it was new
There actually is a brilliant german coffee table book on this exact 901 prototype, how it found its way to Alois Ruf and how it was resurrected many many years later. Highly recommend it. Book title is "Der Prototyp des 901" from Delius Klasing Verlag. Dont know if a translation is planned, but the pictures speak to everybody i guess 😎
Like Mr Ruf, my 1968 Porsche 912 right hand drive will never be sold. Brilliant to see this car still exists and is shared. The back story is amazing when you think what could have happened to the car.
Not a lot more you can say than what an amazing back story and what an amazing man also. So much detail to take in but he but made it so easy to understand, so congratulations Jonny on a wonderful episode👏👏👏
Wow, what a treat. Im running late for work now because I wanted to see this. Great piece Johnny! Thank you for getting Mr Ruff and shots of the 901. Great stuff right there. 😎🤙🌺
What a down-to-earth and open person he has remained despite his worldwide success. I could just listen to him for hours over a glass of wine. Porsche would certainly spend a lot of money to acquire this historic blue gem for their own museum. I can still remember the early 80s when you had to order a 911 Turbo from Ruf to experience a five-speed gearbox with turbo boost.
Very interesting and enjoyable to view this. Kind of reminds me of my ownership experience (much more modest) with one of the very first Mk3 Cavaliers, a very basic 1.6l made in Aug88. It was very secondhand and well used when I had it, but there were some rough edges or oddities in some design details that were quickly changed/improved that endeared me to that car.
In 2005 I had the great pleasure to meet Mr. Ruf at the 50th anniversary Porsche Parade in Hershey, PA. The actual original Yellow Bird was there and I geeked my heart out. I did not (and still do not - yet) own even a Porsche let alone a Ruf, but I introduced myself to him and offered my appreciation for his work. He asked if I owned a Ruf and I replied that sadly I did not. He said, "well, stay with us!" 😄
I’ve been lurking in the background for many of your videos Johnny but I have to say….you know you’ve made it when you are interviewing such a Porsche legend. I love Porsche and this was such an awesome video. Congratulation and look forward to your next video. P.s. your barn find videos are fantastic.
I'm not a Porsche fan at all but what an amazing story which was told to you by an incredible character and passionate advocate of the marque. Loved the colour matching of his slacks to the car's paintwork too :)
