The 2025 RUF Rodeo Is A Gloriously Retro Off-Roader That Makes A 911 Dakar Look Drab

If the Porsche 911 Dakar left you with a hankering to take your sports car of-road, but you felt it needed a little more retro spirit to really dominate the wilderness, RUF may have you covered. Fresh to Monterey Car Week 2024 is the 2025 RUF Rodeo, a coupe with the style of an old-school Porsche but a thoroughly modern drivetrain. It's a splash of nostalgia, the German automaker says, but one that makes liberal use of cutting-edge tech.

The result looks every bit the classic 911, though here reinvented in carbon fiber. There's a careful application of extra venting and a chunky fixed rear spoiler, along with a widebody design to accommodate the forged center-lock 18-inch wheels and their custom Goodyear 235/55 R18 all-terrain tires.

RUF

Double-wishbone suspension gets coilovers and electronic dampers, with a 9.5-inch ride height. There's all-wheel drive, of course, with variable power delivery front to rear, together with a limited slip differential. 6-piston monobloc fixed front calipers and 4-piston versions at the rear clamp down onto 350mm ventilated and perforated ceramic composite brakes.

Lending to the charm, though, is the promise of driver involvement. Where the 911 Dakar pairs its 3.0-liter flat-6 with an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic, RUF skips the auto in favor of a six-speed manual. 

RUF

There's considerably more power from the RUF Rodeo than the Dakar mustered, too: the Porsche's healthy 473 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque look positively restrained, compared to RUF's 3.6-liter turbocharged six-cylinder boxer engine with 610 horsepower at 6,500 rpm, and 516 lb-ft of torque at 2,250 rpm. Top speed is 155 mph.

It's all built atop a CFK monocoque, with an integrated rollover cage made of high-strength steel. The result, RUF says, is a curb weight of just 2,756 pounds. By contrast, the lesser-powered Dakar tips the scales at over 3,550 pounds.

RUF

RUF finishes the exterior in a choice of five standard colors: signal orange, olive green, bitter chocolate, burgundy red, or aga blue. Of course, given the personalized nature of the automaker's cars, those willing to cough up the cash will undoubtedly be able to personalize them to their whims.

It's the inside, though, where the Dakar starts to look really staid in comparison. Porsche's latest-generation of 911 cabins are ergonomically designed and pack plenty of tech, but the RUF Rodeo's "Western Americana" theme brings a certain well-heeled whimsy to the unusual off-roader. That includes plenty of Alcantara, carbon door sills, aluminum and leather shifter knob, titanium pedals, and a 3-spoke leather-wrapped sport steering wheel.

RUF

It's the aged leather on the dashboard and doors, though, and the inset fabric panels that continue onto the lightweight bucket seats that truly deliver the charm. Paired with old-school analog gauges, it gives the Rodeo a classic 911 feel that a certain cadre of Porsche fans will likely find tough to resist. However, you still get niceties like automatic climate control, power windows and side mirrors, and a simple central touchscreen to handle engine power distribution among other things.

RUF

The big question, undoubtedly, is just how much all this retro goodness will cost you. RUF hardly has a reputation for making cheap cars, after all: its production models generally have a price tag several multiples of the Porsche vehicles they resemble. For now, the company is tight-lipped on just what a 2025 Rodeo will set you back, suggesting that if you have to ask, you're only going to be disappointed.