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Ruf CTR
The "Yellow Bird"
The CTR Story:
In 1987, Ruf® Automobilli introduced what would be one of the most remarkable automobile of all time…the CTR, nicknamed the "Yellowbird" for a bright yellow paint scheme that plastered her beautifully sculpted body. 3 years earlier, Ruf® won Road & Track’s® first "World’s Fastest Car" test with the BTR at 183 mph. Not only did the CTR have to live up to the legacy of her predecessor, but she also had to compete with some of the fiercest cars of the time; including a Lamborghini Countach, a Ferrari Boxer, and the infamous Porsche 959. By the end of the day though, it was apparent that the Ruf® CTR was above the competition…even beating the famous 959 by 13 mphs in the straight away.
On her first run, former Grand Prix driver and Le Mans winner pushed the Yellow beast to a whooping 209 mph with Road & Track's® Peter Egan strapped into her passenger seat. Later that day, when the track had dried up, Phil Hill and Road & Track’s® photographer John Lamm made history when they recorded a trap speed of 339.8 km/h, or 211 mph…which stood as the fastest speed of the day and marked the Ruf® CTR as the fastest production vehicle at the time. Rounding out the incredible day were praises of the Ruf’s® performance and handling and an agreement by Phil, Paul and Alois Ruf himself on how the car was undergeared. 'We could make it go faster,' Ruf said, 'but there's not much purpose in a road car going very much faster than 300 kilometers per hour.'
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