Alois Ruf may have cut his teeth as Germany’s preeminent Porsche customizer, but the CTR3 is something altogether different.

At first glance its Porsche roots are obvious: there are the twin ovoid headlights and the curvy haunches.

Yet the CTR3 is more Porsche-inspired than Porsche-based.

Instead of the Porsche underpinnings that governed the design of every RUF car prior, the CTR3’s platform was developed in conjunction with Canadian supplier Multimatic, the same company responsible for production of Ford’s new, Le Mans class-winning GT.

Its footprint is about that of a 911, but the CTR3’s wheelbase is nearly 11 inches longer and five inches wider to accommodate a rear-mid-mounted engine and take advantage of that layout’s superb handling characteristics.

Visually, the CTR3’s silhouette draws closer to the Carrera GT and 918 Spyder—albeit with a solid top—than it does the 911.

The 3.8-litre flat-six squeezed between the axles is, of course, a Porsche-derived unit, but in the CTR...