Editor's Choice: 1989 RUF CTR1 'Lightweight'

‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ – stellar life advice that applies 99% of the time. But a perfect example of the other 1% comes in the form of the legendary CTR1 ‘Yellowbird’: the Porsche 911 overhauled by RUF, an instance of which can currently be found in the Classic Driver Market.

‘Tuning’ cars can often be a little hit-and-miss, although 1987 saw German specialist RUF create a car that not only honoured its roots, but also punched well above its weight. Based on a Carrera 3.2, the CTR1 (better known as Yellowbird, partially because of the ‘chirping’ sound its blow-off valve produced) took the fight to the Ferrari Testarossa and Lamborghini Countach – and even the Ferrari F40 and Porsche 959 – and won. Its top speed of 211mph (unofficially) made the special G-series the fastest car in the world for some years; it also held the lap record at the Nordschleife.

Of course, reaching this level of performance necessitated some major modifications - and indeed, the car was almost rebuilt from the ground up. Using numerous lightweight components, around 200kg of weight was shed, while the six-cylinder engine underwent a capacity increase (to 3.4 litres) and an appendage of two turbochargers and accompanying intercoolers. In its upgraded state, the CTR made an astonishing 469bhp; and weighed just 1170kg.

But the CTR1 offered here by Classic Driver Dealer Jan B. Luhn is even lighter, as it is one of the six ‘lightweight’ versions made by RUF out of the 29 total CTR1s. The 1989 car has just 26,000km (around 16,000 miles) on the odometer, and as you may have guessed, the price is on request.

Photos: Jan B. Lühn