RUF in the Sand - CTR3 Launch at the F1 Race in Bahrain

BAHRAIN (April 1, 2008) - Innovation, Teamwork, Dedication and Perseverance are the adjectives used to describe Multimatic and the individuals responsible for making the production RUF CRT3 Super Car a reality. MTC was challenged with the engineering and build of the unique chassis, suspension and carbon fibre body system for this 700+ Hp, $500,000 Autobahn tamer.

The launch of the production version of the RUF CTR3 was April 1, 2008 in Bahrain, in conjunction with the Bahrain Formula One race event activities. RUF has recently completed construction of a first-of-its-kind vehicle development and manufacturing facility at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC), where the production assembly of the CTR3 will be conducted.

Weeks before the launch the MTC engineering, fabrication and composite teams work furiously around the clock to complete the first production “rolling chassis” of the CTR3 in time for its public debut. However, the challenges did not stop there; shipping the car from MTC to RUF in Bahrain became a major obstacle. Where is Bahrain? Bahrain is Arabic for “two seas”, it’s an island country in the Persian Gulf off the east cost of Saudi Arabia (not somewhere FedEx has regular service to!). The route for the car was from Toronto, Canada, to Frankfurt, Germany, then Frankfurt to Bahrain. MTC had to call in a few favours, and of course pay a premium, to secure enough cargo space in an Air Canada cargo plane from Toronto to Frankfurt; however, there was no space on any flights (cargo or commercial) from Germany to Bahrain. Alois RUF – Owner of RUF Automobiles – had to call a friend who was on the Board of Directors of Gulf Air to “make” some space (leave someone else’s freight on the ground) on a commercial passenger flight from Frankfurt to Bahrain. In the end the car was shipped, but not on the planned schedule.

The plan was for the car to arrive in Bahrain on Sunday, March 30th, assembled (by MTC personnel) on Monday, ready for the show opening on Tuesday, April 1, 2008. However this did not happen, due to additional security checks in Frankfurt. The car finally arrived in Bahrain on Monday just before midnight; and Larry Holt, Hao Wang, Steve Swift, and the RUF mechanic, worked outside in the parking lot, under the desert sky assembling this car with tools from “my first tool box”. This car was going to be scrutinized by F1 racing team delegates, RUF investors and customers of the CTR3. It was important that the car was perfect.

The team worked through the night to complete the assembly of the car, having to improvise with makeshift vehicle lifts, and as the last bolt was tightened the sun was upon the sandy horizon. By the time the complete CTR3 display was erected and ready for show, the cleaning crew was walking in and the team was leaving to get ready and prep for the show. True to Multimatic form there was time to spare (actually less than an hour and a half).

All in a day’s work (a continuous 48 hour day), the launch of the CTR3 was a success – Alois Ruf was extremely happy with the results, and customers who purchased the car were convinced that their investment was a sound one, and couldn’t wait to get behind the wheel of this treasure. The CTR3 production has been kicked off; to date over 20 cars have been sold.

To say the least MTC gets the job done! Thank you to everyone who was involved in this project from conception to completion. “Strength Through Technology” is only as strong as the people who wear it proudly on their chest.

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