If there is a preparation that deserves to pass into the annals of history, it is the RUF CTR, also known as “Yellowbird”. RUF wanted to punch you in the table at the end of the 80s, demonstrating that their preparations were as quick and radical as the best supercars of the time. In 1987 RUF he created one of his masterpieces, the CTR (Group C, Turbo RUF). Based on the Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2, this supercar soon acquired a status of cult, and was for a time the street car fastest in the world.
once Upon a time a Porsche 911 to two turbos stuck
Only 29 units of the RUF CTR were built by hand at the end of the years 80.
RUF was a trainer that had built its reputation on engines, and the CTR Yellowbird was one of the first cars complete built by RUF. Based on a Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 body close, the first amendment suffered was the complete preparation of your propellant. Its displacement was increased to 3.4 liters, and was installed the ignition system initially installed in the Porsche 962 of competition. He settled for nothing less than two turbochargers, associated with two intercoolers.
to be able To fit the intercoolers in the back bay of the Porsche 911 was the redesign of the engine crankcase, and the oil filter had to be mounted inside the bumper, now of polyurethane. The result of the preparation was a end power of 469 HP, with a massive maximum torque of 533 Nm. The Porsche 911 is more powerful that time, it was then the Turbo, whose engine 3.0 turbo developed 300 HP. To support the increase of engine torque, RUF had to leave the gear box of four marches of the Race.
Its weight was only 1.150 kg, a weight pen that allowed for a bestial relationship power-to-weight.
As there was no manufacturer that we sold a unit to be unsatisfactory, produced its own gearbox (5 relationships), which gave them absolute freedom to design developments. It was not the only change that is not visible: the braking equipment was designed by Brembo, and the front discs came to be 330 mm in diameter. A suspension revamped and tires Dunlop Denloc mounted on 17-inch wheels complete the mechanical modifications. But that was not all if I wanted to design the fastest car in the world.
RUF dedicated a lot of time and effort to the design of the aerodynamics of the car. The body and chassis were reviewed from top to bottom to ensure an aerodynamic performance optimal. A body kit specific was designed, it gave the car a flat bottom and welded a multitude of panels. Some units used ducts NACA for the cooling of the engine, but were disposed of at the end for common solutions of cooling. The interior was just modified.
A hero of the Green Hell…and the speed
Did the 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.9 seconds and in 1989 came to reach 342 km/h. Amazing.
In 1987, the Ferrari F40 is crowned as the first production car to exceed 200 miles per hour, about 320 km/h. The record barely lasted week: at an event hosted by Road&Track – a us magazine – the RUF CTR surpassed that record by a margin very considerable. In the circuit German of Ehra-Leissen, the CTR reached the beastly speed of 340 km/h. A record that lasted until well into the 90s, and that was a hard setback for the Ferrari F40 and Porsche 959, the fastest cars of the time.
the myth of The RUF Yellowbird did not end there. Stefan Roser was the test pilot of RUF, and he was a true addict to the Nürburgring. In 1987 he recorded a video called “Faszination – Nürburgring”, which had as its protagonist the Roser and the RUF CTR. A display of riding at the limit that makes even today we have to grab on to the chair. A time of 8 minutes and 5 seconds was a record for street vehicles in 1987, and has more merit if it fits in a car without electronic aids… it even had ABS!
I will Never tire of seeing this video. It is hypnotic.
Several parts of your body – as the hood – were replaced by those made of aluminum.
it Is said that the mythical video – which you can see on these lines – gave rise to the current fascination of the Green Hell, and that obsession that we have today for the faster lap times. And I fully understand: if you have not seen the video, you’re taking a long time to give the play. To all this, why is he nicknamed Yellowbird? In the event of Road&Track in the that peaked 340 km/h, the photographers had to play with a dark sky, contrasting with the striking yellow color of the prototype presented at the event.
United with the peculiar sound of their exhaust valves – similar to the chirping of a canary – the nickname practically just created.
Source: Jalopnik | RUF
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