Forget Hybrid Power, RUF's New Boxer-Eight Makes Over 1,000 HP

New performance engines are becoming a rare sight, but RUF has just built one from scratch. Called the B8, it's a 4.8-liter twin-turbo boxer-eight producing more than 1,000 hp with zero hybrid help.

The new engine will make its public debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed inside a heavily modified CTR3 prototype. The car combines a reworked Porsche 911 front structure with a custom Multimatic tubular steel rear chassis. Tanner Foust will drive it up the Goodwood hill throughout the weekend, giving the B8 its first proper chance to make some noise in public.

Flat-eight engines are incredibly rare, especially in road cars. Porsche used them in racing, but never put one into a production street model. RUF's new B8 produces more than 1,000 hp and 738 lb-ft of torque, putting it in Lamborghini Revuelto territory without electric assistance. Better still, it's paired with a six-speed manual gearbox developed in-house by RUF.

Fitting the larger engine wasn't quite a bolt-in job. RUF stretched the CTR3 prototype by 3.93 inches, though visually it still looks close to the CTR3 Evo revealed three years ago. The engine cover, bumpers, and tailpipes remain familiar, while a black-and-yellow livery inspired by the famous CTR Yellowbird gives away that something unusual is going on.

RUF hasn't said which production car will receive the B8 or when it will arrive. Founder Alois Ruf calls the engine a defining moment for the company and a new chapter in its history. RUF is keeping the B8's production plans quiet for now. Still, a 1,000-hp boxer-eight and a six-speed manual are hard to ignore. Would you want one?