If the idea of a Porsche 911 Safari excites you, then the Ruf Rodeo is going to blow your mind. Imagine the spirit of the original Paris-Dakar rally 911s—raw, lifted, and ready to eat dirt—blended with the meticulous engineering of Alois Ruf’s legendary tuning house. That’s the Ruf Rodeo: a car that feels like a love letter to vintage off-road racing and analog driving, yet is completely bespoke and distinctly un-Porsche in all the best ways.
A Tribute to Rally History, with Ruf’s Twist
To understand the Ruf Rodeo, you need to know what it’s not. It’s not a modified Porsche 911. It’s not a restomod. It’s not even a Porsche under the skin. While it may look like an air-cooled 911 from the 1980s—complete with Fuchs-style wheels and those familiar round headlights—this machine is entirely engineered by Ruf from the ground up, using their own carbon fiber monocoque and a host of in-house components.
The Rodeo began as a concept revealed back in 2020, inspired by both Alois Ruf’s personal passion for the American West and the rugged, sand-blasting 911s that once conquered the Paris-Dakar Rally. What started as a design study became real thanks to overwhelming interest—and the result is a vehicle that blends off-road grit with refined craftsmanship like no other.
Built for Dust, Not Just Display
This is not a show car pretending to be rough-and-ready. The Ruf Rodeo sits on long-travel suspension, with beefy all-terrain tires tucked under widened fender flares. It features front and rear skid plates, a lifted ride height, and all-wheel drive—a necessity if you’re going to fling a 700-horsepower sports car through the desert.
Yes, you read that right: 700 horsepower. The engine is Ruf’s own 3.6-liter twin-turbocharged flat-six, sending power through a six-speed manual transmission. Unlike Porsche’s new 911 Dakar, which is fast but noticeably tamed and road-oriented, the Rodeo is unapologetically wild. It’s less about Nürburgring lap times and more about controlled slides on gravel roads. This is a car for purists, for those who want the thrill of man versus terrain, with minimal electronic interference.
Analog Driving in a Digital Age
What sets the Ruf Rodeo apart is its devotion to analog purity. In a world where most new cars feel filtered through a computer, the Rodeo is refreshingly direct. The manual gearbox, the hydraulic steering, the mechanical feel of every input—it’s all designed to give the driver feedback, not filter it out.
Where the Porsche 911 Dakar offers sophisticated traction control systems and pre-programmed off-road modes, the Ruf Rodeo lets you figure it out on your own. It demands skill but rewards it with a level of engagement that’s nearly extinct in modern cars.
And despite its rugged persona, this is still a Ruf. That means the build quality is superb. The interior features hand-stitched leather, custom gauges, and a blend of luxurious and rustic materials—some of which take inspiration from Western saddlery. Think: a vintage rally car dressed up for a rodeo in Montana. It’s strange, but it works.
Not for Everyone—and That’s the Point
The Ruf Rodeo is not cheap, not practical, and not even road-legal in many places without some work. It’s more of a dream realized—a fantasy car for collectors, off-road enthusiasts, and those who have a soft spot for the analog era of rallying. While Porsche’s 911 Dakar is a wonderful homage with daily drivability and factory polish, it feels almost tame next to the Rodeo’s rawness.
This difference is what makes the Ruf Rodeo so special. It’s not chasing mainstream approval. It’s not trying to fit into a category. It’s the kind of car that makes you want to find a desert trail just to see what it’s capable of. And once you’re done kicking up sand and sliding sideways, you can park it in the garage and admire its coachbuilt quality—knowing full well there are only a handful of them in existence.
Final Thoughts
If Porsche’s 911 Dakar is a factory-built rally toy, then the Ruf Rodeo is a full-blown rally dream, unchained by corporate oversight or practicality. It’s like someone took a vintage 911 Dakar, added more power, stripped away the electronic babysitters, and wrapped it in a suit made of cowboy boots and motorsport memories.