Cars that once held speed records weren’t usually great at the track. However, the Ruf CTR “Yellowbird” begs to differ. Apart from being hailed as the fastest production car of its time, it was also an unofficial lap record holder at the Nurburgring, adding even greater value beyond its rarity.
The Ruf CTR Yellowbird was introduced in 1987 and was based on a Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2. The introduction of aluminum parts allowed Ruf to drop the weight of the CTR even further, and the engine modifications increased the total displacement from 3.2 to 3.4 liters. The engine had twin turbochargers and twin intercoolers, bringing the total output to 463 horsepower and 408 pound-feet of torque.
These modifications allowed the CTR to register a 0-60 time of 3.6 seconds and a top speed of 210 miles an hour, making it the fastest production car of its time. Only 29 Ruf CTR Yellowbird units were officially produced, each selling for $142,000 in 1987.
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Was the car really good, though? In the video by Petersen Automotive Museum hosted by Doug DeMuro, the CTR Yellowbird faced legendary sports cars in a set of good old drag races.
There’s the American Club Racing (ACR) variant of the Dodge Viper, which was engineered for the track, sporting a naturally aspirated V10 that put out 600 horsepower and 560 pound-feet of torque, paired exclusively with a manual transmission.
There’s also the Ferrari F40 was developed with the goal of replacing the 288 GTO and celebrating Ferrari’s 40th anniversary. Of course, it came wearing its famous Rosso Corsa paint job. Then there’s the Acura NSX mid-engine sports car, which was one of the legends of the ’90s. Last but not least, the Porsche 930 Turbo made a splash in the matchup as well. But this isn’t any ordinary 911 Turbo – certified to be the very first of its kind in the US.
The video atop this page showed how these classic sports cars compare in a straight line. The best part? They were all equipped with manual transmissions.
