Published: Jun 14, 2012

Car and Driver Visit Ruf to Drive Yellowbird and New CTR3

Ruf has been creating lightning fast Porsches for generations. Here are two of their most sought after.

Most recognize Ruf as the world's leading Porsche tuning firm. In fact, it is classified as a manufacturer and has been in business since 1939. Its maiden Porsche project involved a 1963 Porsche 356, but its most famous piece of work was the 1987 CTR Yellowbird built on the standard 911 Carrera. The car's legendary status was born at an event held on a VW test track when it ran a staggering 211mph, seeing off cars such as the Lamborghini Countach and Porsche 959.

It later topped out at 212.5mph on the Nardo test track leading Road & Track to dub it 'the fastest car in the world.' A recent episode of Car and Driver sees European correspondent Jethro Bovingdon take the fabled 911 Ruf Yellowbird for a spin around Ruf's test track before speaking to the manufacturer about its history and accomplishments.

He then takes the CTR Yellowbird's modern successor and Ruf's biggest seller, the phenomenal CTR 3, out on the Autobahn for a high-speed run. Introduced on the 20th anniversary of the 1987 CTR Yellowbird, the supercar could be yours for $620,000. It has a unique mid-engined chassis and carbon-fiber body with power coming from a 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged flat 6 engine producing 750hp and 700lb-ft of torque that's sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed sequential gearbox. It's good for a 236mph top speed and a 0-60mph sprint time of around 3.2 seconds.