Ruf – CTR “Yellowbird” (1987)

The Ruf CTR – or Group C Twin-Turbo Ruf – was the car that really put the Ruf sports-car manufacturer on the map. This automobile was based on the Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 from 1987. Powered by a twin turbocharged engine – it’s all in the name – the 3.3 litre six-cylinder sports model delivered 469 hp and weighed 1,150 kilograms. The rear seats and insulation were taken out to reduce weight, and the doors, boot lid and sheet metal were aluminium. A roll cage improved body rigidity and safety. A total of 29 CTRs were built with bodyshells purchased from Porsche. The Ruf CTR achieved its legendary status practically overnight when it first broke cover to attract the public eye in April 1987 and competed in the World’s Fastest Cars competition organised by automotive enthusiast magazine ‘Road & Track’. The Ruf Porsche achieved a top speed of 339 km/h (212 mph) and was clearly faster than the stellar competitors Porsche 959, Lamborghini Countach 5000S, Ferrari Testarossa and Ferrari GTO. In 1987, the Ruf CTR was literally the fastest production car in the world. It earned the moniker “Yellowbird” in the course of the event, conferred by the journalists present on the basis of its canary-yellow livery. Actually, the official name of the bright yellow colour is ‘Blossom Yellow’. A comparative test carried out by automobile magazine ‘auto motor und sport’ on the Nardo circuit in southern Italy in 1988 recorded the Ruf CTR achieving a top speed of 342 km/h (214 mph), making it 3 km/h (1.87 mph) faster than the Porsche 959S and 21 km/h (13 mph) faster than the Ferrari F40. The exemplar shown here is not just one of the already extremely rare Ruf CTRs – this is the legendary prototype that still remains in the hands of Alois Ruf himself to this day. The car with the German licence plate MN-P 911 has graced countless covers of glossy automotive magazines around the world.