Ralph Lauren’s New $700,000 Supercar

The RUF CTR-3 pictured here is not Ralph Lauren’s actual vehicle, but he is driving a similar one in silver. RUF has sold 25 CTR-3’s since the product was launched in 2007, and only three of those were sold in the U.S.
Source: RUF Automobile
The RUF CTR-3 pictured here is not Ralph Lauren’s actual vehicle, but he is driving a similar one in silver. RUF has sold 25 CTR-3’s since the product was launched in 2007, and only three of those were sold in the U.S.

What do you buy for the car collector who has everything?

Apparently, an RUF CTR-3.

Ralph Lauren, the fashion mogul and vintage-car collector, recently took delivery of a new RUF CTR-3, according to people familiar with the deal. Lauren was snapped by the car-parazzi taking it for a spin recently in the Hamptons.

A spokesman for Lauren declined comment.


For super-rich car collectors, the RUF is one of those cult brands with a storied past and a reputation for high performance. Germany-based RUF Automobile has modified Porsches for 50 years, pimping them out with a super-charged flat-six cylinder engine and bulking up the frames with its own wings, fenders and vents.

The CTR-3 has a base price of $680,000 but most of them top $700,000 with customized specs. This is not merely a souped-up Porsche; the CTR-3 is built more from scratch. Only the front end and part of the engine originate from a Porsche 911.

Its swooping body with a long, Le Mans-style tail is made from carbon fiber. The car has a 777-horsepower engine and, according to the company, can "go faster than anyone can drive."

(Read More: Amazing Supercar Experiences)

RUF has sold three of its CTR-3's in the U.S., but has only sold 25 CTR-3's since the product was launched in 2007. RUF has other models, of course, but only makes and sells about 30 to 35 cars a year.

"Our customers appreciate the performance of these cars, it's like a true race car," said Estonia Ruf of Ruf Automobile. "For people who like race history, this car has lines that evoke that past but it also has elements of a new model. It's not retro. But the lines are very beautiful."

The perfect new car, in other words, for a man who already has a garage full of vintage Ferraris and Bugattis.

(Read More: Fabulous Vintage Ferraris)

—BY CNBC's Robert Frank. Follow him on Twitter: @robtfrank