Makes › RUF › CTR 'Yellowbird' · Specialist manufacturer · 1987–1992 Ultra Rare
RUF
CTR 'Yellowbird'
RUF-built twin-turbo 911-based car (RUF chassis numbers), 1987 world's fastest production car test
Still being researched: full specifications. Everything shown is checked against the cited sources. Know more? Send us a source.
Photo: TTTNIS · Public domain
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- 29 Built
- Years
- 1987–1992
- Engine
- Rear-mounted twin-turbo flat-six · 3,367 cc / 3.4 LFactory: 3,367 cc
- Power
- 350 kW / 476 PSFactory: 469 hp · converted
- Top speed
- 340 km/hFactory: 211 mph · converted
- Body
- Not yet verified
- Designer
- Alois Ruf
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- Not yet verified
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
The CTR made RUF famous when the yellow prototype topped Road & Track's July 1987 fastest-cars test at 211 mph. RUF, recognised as a manufacturer in Germany since 1981, built 29 CTRs under its own serial numbers between 1987 and 1992.
How rare is it?
Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.
Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.
Photos
Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.
RUF CTR 'Yellowbird' (Wikimedia Commons: Ruf CTR Yellowbird)
Photo: TTTNIS · Public domain
RUF CTR 'Yellowbird' (Wikimedia Commons: Ruf CTR Yellowbird)
Photo: Mr.choppers · CC BY-SA 3.0
RUF CTR 'Yellowbird' (Wikimedia Commons: Ruf CTR Yellowbird)
Photo: TTTNIS · Public domain
RUF CTR 'Yellowbird' (Wikimedia Commons: Ruf CTR Yellowbird)
Photo: Rafaeltieth · CC BY-SA 4.0
02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
| What is counted | Figure | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total model productionfactory-built RUF-numbered cars (30–100 customer conversions excluded) | 291 | Factory production | Independently researched |
Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.
History
Built on the narrow-body 911 Carrera shell rather than the 930, the CTR used a bored-out 3,367 cc twin-turbo, twin-intercooled engine with injection derived from the 962 racer and a RUF five-speed gearbox, weighing over 400 lb less than a factory 930. The prototype, nicknamed 'Yellow Bird', reached 211 mph at Ehra-Lessien in the Road & Track test, and in 1989 lapped the Nürburgring in 8 minutes 5 seconds. Besides the 29 factory cars, an estimated 30 to 100 customer cars were converted, though RUF's records were reportedly lost in a fire.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard CTR 'Yellowbird'.
No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
03Specifications
Technical specifications
Engine
| Engine family | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Engine code | Not yet verified |
| Layout | Rear-mounted twin-turbo flat-six2 Independently researched |
| Displacement | 3,367 cc / 3.4 LFactory: 3,367 cc2 Independently researched |
| Bore | Not yet verified |
| Stroke | Not yet verified |
| Compression ratio | Not yet verified |
| Fuel system | Not yet verified |
| Power | 350 kW / 476 PSFactory: 469 hp · converted2 Independently researchedRoad & Track test figure; later figures cite 496 hp. |
| Power at | Not yet verified |
| Torque | Not yet verified |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | RUF five-speed manual2 Independently researched |
|---|---|
| Gears | Not yet verified |
| Driven wheels | Not yet verified |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | Not yet verified |
| Rear suspension | Not yet verified |
| Brakes | Not yet verified |
| Steering | Not yet verified |
| Body construction | Not yet verified |
| Wheelbase | Not yet verified |
| Length | Not yet verified |
| Width | Not yet verified |
| Height | Not yet verified |
| Front track | Not yet verified |
| Rear track | Not yet verified |
| Kerb weight | Not yet verified |
| Dry weight | Not yet verified |
Performance
| Maximum speed | 340 km/hFactory: 211 mph · converted2 Independently researchedRoad & Track test at Ehra-Lessien; AMS recorded 213 mph at Nardo. |
|---|---|
| 0–100 km/h | Not yet verified |
| Fuel tank | Not yet verified |
“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.
04Colours & options
Factory colours & interiors
Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Factory options & codes
Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
05Individual cars
Chassis register
Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Competition history
Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Auction & sale history
Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
See one in person
Museums where an example of this car can be seen.
No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
06Reference
Identification guide
How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.
A factory CTR carries a RUF serial number rather than a Porsche chassis number; conversions on Porsche-numbered cars are not factory CTRs. Features include a narrow Carrera body, aluminium doors, bonnet and engine lid, fibreglass bumpers, removed rain gutters, NACA ducts in the rear wings on early cars, an external oil filler from a relocated tank, a roll cage and 17-inch Speedline wheels.
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
-
1
RUF CTR profile – Sports Car Market Level B
- 29 factory-built RUF-numbered cars (30–100 customer conversions excluded)
-
2
1988 Porsche 911 Turbo / RUF-Converted CTR Level B Prescott Kelly · Sports Car Market · 2016-06-16
- twin turbochargers and twin intercoolers
- increased to 3,367 cc
- 469 hp per the Road & Track test
- Ruf built a custom 5-speed gearbox
- 211 mph at Ehra-Lessien
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