1990 Ruf 911 CTR C4 Coupe

Just before World War II, Alois Ruf, Sr. formed 'AUTO RUF', a company that serviced vehicles and was situated in Pfaffenhausen, Germany. A year later, in 1940, a gas station was added. A bus company was added in 1949. The company grew into a prosperous business. Alois son, also of the same name, had a passion for servicing sports cars, mostly Porsches. After Alois Ruf Sr. passed away in 1974, Alois Jr. took ownership of the companies. Keeping true to his passion, Alois Jr. reorganized the businesses to service the Porsche 911, exclusively. The first RUF-modified Porsche was introduced in 1975.

The example shown is based on the Porsche 964 chassis. Production of the RUF CTR models lasted from 1987 through 1995 with only 23 examples being created. 21 were rear wheels with the remaining two given all-wheel drive configurations.

A yellow RUF CTR was driven by Phil Hill and it was given the name 'YellowBird' by Road and Track. It was also crowned 'the fastest car in the world'. Zero-to-sixty took only 2.8 seconds while a top speed of over 200 mph was easily attainable.

This RUF Porsche Twin Turbo CTR C4 'Yellowbird' is extremely rare being one of the two that has an all-wheel drive configuration. It has twin KKK turbochargers with waste gates and intercoolers. The RUF six-speed manual gearbox sends 550 horsepower to all the wheels while the RUF cross-drilled all-wheel discs provide superior braking power. The vehicle is suspended in place by a fully independent and adjustable front and rear suspension.

This vehicle has an extensive racing history that includes a second-place finish in the open class at Pike's Peak in 1994. It finished in first place at the Virginia City Hill Climb of the same year.
At the 2006 RM Auction at Monterey, CA the vehicle was expected to fetch $95,000 - $140,000. It was offered without reserve which worked well for the buyer, who got a deal with a winning bid of $79,750.

Competition Highlights
- 1994 Pikes Peak Hillclimb - 2nd in Open Class
- 1994 One Lap of America - Winner (8 of 12 events)
- 1994 Virginia City Hillclimb - New Record

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2006