RUF CTR History

Unveiled in 1987 and built on the Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 body, the Ruf CTR was unlike any road car the world had seen. Ruf replaced virtually every mechanical component: a bespoke 3.4-litre twin-turbocharged flat-six producing 469 PS (463 hp) sat behind the rear axle, driving through a five-speed manual. The car weighed only 1,150 kg — lighter than many hot hatches of the era.

In 1987 Road & Track organised a real-world top-speed showdown at Volkswagen's Ehra-Lessien test track. The CTR recorded 342 km/h (213 mph), eclipsing the Ferrari F40, Lamborghini Countach, and Porsche 959. A camera operator called the yellow car a 'Yellowbird' as it flew past, and the nickname stuck permanently. Ruf built approximately 29 cars from scratch and converted a further 20–30 from customer Carreras, making the CTR extremely rare.

The Yellowbird's fame reached pop culture in 1989 when German TV filmed presenter Stefan Roser lapping the Nürburgring in one — footage that circulated on VHS for years before going viral on the internet decades later. The car also appeared in early Gran Turismo video games as a stand-in for Porsche, cementing its status for an entire generation of automotive enthusiasts.