One to Buy: 1989 / 91 Ruf CTR 'Yellowbird'
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While other firms operating in the Super Tuner arena nearly all offered flamboyant coachwork elaboration, Ruf took a distilled approach to its Porsches which has resulted in the cars from Pfaffenhausen becoming arguably the most sought after from this golden era.
To punch the smallest hole through the air, Ruf based its legendary CTR ‘Yellowbird’ on the narrow-bodied 911 Carrera. However, back in the day, a handful of owners sent their already completed 911 Turbos over to Ruf where these wide-bodied shells were equipped with all the usual CTR fare.
Currently residing at the Curated showroom in Miami is just such a CTR: chassis WP0ZZZ91ZKS103022.
Having started life as a 1989 model year 911 3.3 Turbo Coupe (930), chassis ‘KS103022’ was invoiced to its German owner for Ruf’s work in January 1991. Accompanying Ruf Certification and Delivery Information issued in 2015 confirm a full CTR conversion was carried out which included the following uprated equipment: engine, six-speed gearbox, limited-slip differential, oil cooling system, brakes, dampers, anti-roll bars, strut brace, spoilers, long-range fuel tank and 17-inch wheels. Inside, the Recaro bucket seats, steering wheel, instrumentation, adjustable boost valve between the seats and plumbed-in roll cage were also added.
According to Curated: “The car wears Blütengelb, the same yellow that made the original CTR famous, over a black interior. It spent a good part of its life in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, where Ruf has long had a devoted following. Its Japanese inspection records begin in 2011 and list it by its CTR designation, and in 2019 it was offered by the Japanese dealer BINGO at around 34,000km.
More recently, it was looked after by RTC in Kyoto, Ruf’s authorised importer for Japan, and both invoices are in the file. In the fall of 2022, at 39,310km, RTC gave it a full inspection and road test, sorted a small turbo oil seep, repaired an exhaust bracket, replaced the oil pressure sensor, serviced the oil, and touched up the rear bumper and spoiler.”
“The car went back in March 2023, at 39,961km, for a roughly ¥1m visit that included new CTR brake discs and pads at all four corners, fresh brake fluid, another oil service, and a new shift rod joint. In June 2024, the car came into Germany through Bremen. It comes with its Ruf Zertifikat, the Ruf delivery confirmation, the RTC service invoices, its Japanese inspection and maintenance records, and the German import paperwork.”
