Legendary Ruf Yellowbird #001 Rolls into Petersen Automotive Museum
On a recent visit to the Petersen, we spotted one of the most famous cars ever built – the original Ruf Yellowbird.
In the world of Porsche, few companies measure up to the enduring excellence of Ruf Automobile. More than just a tuner, Ruf is actually considered a complete automobile manufacturer. But while the German company builds new vehicles from the ground up today, that wasn’t always the case. In fact, their most famous car, the original Ruf Yellowbird, was based on the Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 when it debuted in 1987.
Of course, the Ruf Yellowbird wasn’t your average 911. The company started with this base instead of the 930 due to its lighter weight and lower drag ratio. They then used aluminum body panels and modified them to reduce drag even further.
The flat-six was then bored out to 3.4-liters, upgraded to a Bosch Motronic 2.1 fuel injection system, and fitted with a pair of turbos and intercoolers. Output was an impressive 469 hp and 408 lb-ft of torque, though some place actual output at 500-plus hp.
A grand total of 29 Ruf Yellowbird examples were built from Porsche-purchased chassis. Owner-provided cars added an additional 20-30 cars to that total. But this particular example, car #001, is something truly special.
This CTR, chassis #001, is the first production Yellowbird and was crowned the fastest production car in 1987 after reaching 211 miles per hour during a track test by Road & Track magazine.Â
It was that review that propelled the Ruf Yellowbird to legendary status. And prompted the manufacturer to build a modern example. But it’s safe to say that none will live up to the original. Which we captured on film occupying a rotating Porsche space at the Petersen Automotive Museum. So if you’re in or near Los Angeles in the next few weeks, it’s worth stopping by to see one of the most famous cars in existence in the flesh!
Photos for Rennlist: D.M. Ciminelli
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