The Yellow Bird was a heavily modified, bespoke car based on the Porsche 911 Turbo. When tested by US publication Road & Track alongside the supercar royalty of its day — the Porsche 959, Ferrari Testarossa, Ferrari 288 GTO and a Lamborghini Countach — it made them look like sensible family run-arounds, such was the car's phenomenal all-round performance and 213mph top speed.
Although the company had been tuning Porsches since 1963, that supercar shootout put the company on the map and the supercar world on notice and to mark 30 years since that showdown, Ruf is looking to repeat history, although this time with a completely bespoke creation of its own.
Although it looks very much like a 930 generation Porsche 911 Turbo and has the same drivetrain layout, that's where the similarities end. This is a unique carbon-fiber moncoque chassis and the first ever built to house a rear-mounted engine.
The engine in question is of the flat-six variety and like the chassis is an in-house creation serving up 700hp, thanks to two turbochargers. All of that power goes exclusively to the rear wheels via a bespoke six-speed manual gearbox and the result is 0-100km/h in under 3.5 seconds and a top speed in excess of 360kph.
"The concept for the 2017 CTR is one that I have had in my head for a very long time," said Alois Ruf, President and owner of RUF Automobile GmbH. "We have been waiting for the right point in our history to build our own car and the 30th anniversary of the CTR ‘Yellow Bird' is that moment."
To keep all of that power in check the car has huge carbon ceramic brakes, wider rear tires and pushrod-actuated suspension front and rear to minimize unsprung weight.
Inside, the cabin ditches the rear seats but it is by no means spartan thanks to Alcantara trim, carbon fiber details, aluminum pedals and a retro three-spoke steering wheel.
"We began development on the new CTR five years ago with the goal of creating a thrilling, analogue driving experience that combines an amazing power-to-weight ratio, manual transmission and modern racing technology," said company co-owner and head of communications, Estonia Ruf.
And now that it's ready the order books are open. Just 30 examples are being built and there's only one colour choice — Yellow Bird yellow.
