How a Repair Shop Built a Car FASTER than the F40! | The Story of the Ruf CTR “Yellowbird”
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- čas přidán 31. 05. 2024
- For as legendary a supercar as the Ruf CTR is, you wouldn’t suspect Ruf Automobile to have come from such humble beginnings. The CTR came from Alois Ruf Jr.’s love of Porsche, specifically the 911 model. After years of tuning existing models, Ruf eventually realized his Porsche dream: a twin turbo 911 that could go toe to toe with supercars like the Ferrari F40, the Lamborghini Countach, and the Porsche 959. This is the story of the car’s unlikely origin, its dominating top speed capabilities, how it gained its famous “Yellowbird” nickname, and its stunning performance on the Nürburgring Nordschleife.
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:57 Ruf History
03:07 The 911 "Replacement"
04:05 Ruf BTR
04:52 Setting the Stage for the CTR
06:09 Ruf CTR Development
07:55 Road and Track Test
09:28 Faszination on the Nürburgring
11:53 Where did the CTR take Ruf?
Credits and References:
pastebin.com/aUGCSRtt
Music List:
pastebin.com/hNZ1TgLH
Copyright Disclaimer: Under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. This video intends to follow and obey the guidelines set forth pertaining to fair use by using the original content in a transformative way to tell a new story. If you are the original copyright owner of material used in this video and disapprove of its use, please email the business email listed in the channel description and I will be more than glad to resolve any issue. - Auta a dopravní prostředky
A few people seem to be missing the point of this video. Contrary to what you might think, I love the F40 just as much as the next guy. This video isn't meant to talk down on it, but rather put into perspective Ruf's amazing achievements with the CTR in a fun (and yes, very much overly dramatic) way. Thanks for watching!
Indeed!
👍I loved it! It’s like an Alpina meant for sports or an older AMG or a Shelby or Calloway.
1:00 Is the story about Alois Ruf Sr. witnessing an accident in 1963 and thus starting the Ruf story really true? Wikipedia say that in 1960 Alois Jr. already began servicing and restoring Porsche automobiles out of his father's garage.
Ruf is a MANUFACTURER, not a repair shop. They started fixing cars but they have Manufacturers status in Germany now with their own VIN numbers and all
i get that. but i dont get, why are we comparing stock car, to a custom car.
The car that scared everyone. The competition, the driver, the automotive world, regulators. The Blackbird was the fastest thing in the sky and the Yellowbird was the fastest thing on the ground.
If I was an aviation channel, I'd make a Blackbird video in a heartbeat! What a cool plane!
@@themotorsportstory man I'd absolutely love to see that video. Knowing the gearhead brain like I do I wouldn't be alone either
@@themotorsportstorycount me in for a blackbird video!
@@themotorsportstory This might be the inspiration for the Yellowbird video from aviation: czcams.com/video/kly8soer0hY/video.html
😁
Not quite true. It didn't seem to scare Stefan Roser 😉
It should probably also be mentioned that for many younger (relativly) car enthusiasts, RUF is so well known due to Porsche's unfortunate exclusivity deal with EA Games, giving RUF the "Porsche" slot in many beloved games like Forza and Grand Turismo.
yep, I learned about RUF in GT2, when Gran Tusrismo still had those INFO buttons so you could look at the story behind the car...I've refused to use porsche in newer GT versions because of RUF just being the more inspiring choice
Gran*
Played a lot of Forza when I was younger
I remember when I first saw that video of Rosen driving yellowbird on Nordschleife, it blew my mind when I noticed that he didn't even had shoes on. What a beast of a man driving a beast of a car. I'm so glad they did film the whole lap.
The whole car community is so much better for it!
dident he had loafers on?
I've tried it in assetto corsa and if it's half as difficult as they have it, then it's a... difficult car to manage and a real rocket. The balls to drive stuff like that on the edge IRL is astounding
@@hansolo631 That and the cobra have git to be some of the hardest cars to drive in AC
@@extec101 yes he had penny loafers and zero PPE. Fucking legendary.
When I saw a RUF CTR in person in 1991 it was impressive. He used smooth 356 headlight covers instead of 911SC. It has no rain gutters and the Green car I saw had a roll cage that was cut into the a pillar and then wrapped in the headliner fabric.
Seamless changes that you don't notice unless you have a 911 next to it.
Attention to detail really makes those cars that much more special! And you're right, to the average person, it probably just looks like a normal yellow 911.
Alot of the fabrication or at least the basis for it were based on Hotrod skills. So all those custom 70's elements were in the CTR. Your comment about it being a body shop probably hold true. The front bumper is unique as it's one piece and the impact mounts are shaved so it sits back. But these were all done to modernize the car to look like current cars. The 959 was bought by the same person who would buy a Cayenne GT now. In the same way people race or tune Supra's now the 911 had a solid aftermarket because they had made so many, not because it was great from the start.
Gran Turismo got it right. Took me weeks to learn to drive that deathtrap, but once figured out it was phenomenal.
I appreciate how your excellent Motorsport story's are truly global and don't just focus on one region. You've earned yourself a SUB.
Love from Australia.
Thanks so much! Almost every corner of the world has some amazing stories to tell.
I live in southwest Missouri near Branson. Some pretty extreme roads snake their way around table rock lake. When I was just about 13, I was riding my bicycle around the trailer park. And I heard the most unique exhaust note coming up the hill. I knew I would see whatever it was soon enough. I realized there were two cars coming up the hill, not gently.
I saw the f40 first, downshifting, and cobbing the throttle as he saw me standing there with my bicycle. And right behind him was a brown 911 Carrera turbo, (found out later the 911 belongs to a local judge).
At the time I didn't know what I had just seen. The sound was unlike anything i had ever heard before, or since.
I will never forget that day.
Wow, that's incredible! Must have been quite the sight, almost like a car magazine had come to life
The Yellowbird is one of my favourite supercars of all time. That Nurburgring lap is legendary. The car trying to murder the driver at every corner. Poetry in motion
Had the privilege to witness Stefan shred a set of tyres in a couple of laps around Goodwood in a CTR - if I remember correctly he also totalled a rear wheel when the brakes caught fire!
I remembered that edition of Road & Track and at that moment this car has become one of my favorite cars of all of time only behind an original Shelby Cobra. I remember the article calling the yellow color of the car a "canary yellow". I would take this car over anything on the road today and to hear those turbo chargers kicking in and that sound is sweet music to my ears. Only sound from an automobile that just as sweet is the low rumbling growl of a big block engine idling. Great video and thank you for the history lesson on Ruf and thier humble beginnings. Alois Ruf is a true automobile legend up there with Carroll Shelby in my eyes. Thank you Mr. Ruf and I hope to be able to experience one of your cars in my lifetime.
Couldn't agree more! Experiencing a Ruf car first hand is on my bucket list too! Thanks for watching!
@@808bigisland what a uneducated crap claim
@@nagmashot Ruf stroked 911 engines. Stuff is not very good. The 911 is not a good car. I prefer Lotus, Alpine turbos and AC. I build better engines, cooling systems and suspension than Ruf’ arab coffee racers🤣
@@808bigisland a kid with no clue... go play wih your little unreliable toys...
@@nagmashot jalousing much🤣
the guy driving on the ring have some serious pair of balls! What an amazing car
I'll be honest, I started watching You about a week ago and oh boy I've got to admit that your videos are just amazing to watch. The way that You are telling us these stories is just something else. Keep this up man!
Greetings from Poland.
Thanks so much! People like you who appreciate the stories are who make these videos worth making!
One of the most amazing things about the Stephan Rozer lap video is when you see the shoes that he is wearing.
For Real! 😂
I love the assetto corsa reference 🤣
And I love to slide the Yellowbird across the Nordschleife like in their legendary video🙏🏻
Thank you! That was my own poor driving I decided to feature haha, I love sliding it all around in that game too.
@@themotorsportstory keep bringing those features! I love to watch that kind of content with my best friends, we also do mods for Assetto so it is just perfect 🙏🏻😂
I remember driving this car on one of the “Test Drive” computer games in the early 90’s. Loved that car every since.
Serioulsy the amount of quality put in your videos is insane even if you arent recognise a lot you are probably on of or the best car journalist on youtube for me. Keep up the great work amd I cant wait for your next videos! By the way do you have a patreon?
I very much appreciate the kind words, thank you! I don't have a Patreon. I've thought about making one, but if I did, I would want to be able to give Patrons some kind of extras or bonus content. Unfortunately I don't really have the time to make that amount of content right now, so I'm planning to stick with just CZcams for the time being :)
A beast! Glory for those capable riding it.
I love it. Shmee150 did a great video where he went to the RUF factory. A RUF is a much better 911, than even Porsche makes. I remember reading the car magazine that did the speed tests in the 80's. Thank you.
Thank you! Yes, I've seen the Schmee video, it's great!
This video is very well done… glad we found it!
Thank so much, glad you found it too!
I actually live just 15 minutes away from Pfaffenhausen, and seeing their models in their tiny showroom is always a blast.
When the CTR was released in 2017, I could see it there.
Alois Ruf actually had a dream that he fulfilled himself in 2011, the RUF R56.11 - It is a 356 with the original 911 Boxer engine, and I recently saw it at RUF. MN AR 1 is the number plate.
Amazing! I'd love to travel out there and see those cars one day!
Great job on mini documentary! Yellowbird is by far top legend in the 80’s!! Props to the true macho kick ass driver👍🏼💪🏼
Thanks so much! And yes, Stefan Roser is an absolute animal behind the wheel!
I predict amazing growth with this channel. Great job. Thanks
Thanks so much! Happy to have you along for the ride!
That is an amazing car story well told. Definitely one of my favourite cars I remember from the '80s.
Appreciate that a lot, thank you!
Absolutely, amazing video! ❤️🙏🏼
Thank you so much!
Man, this thing is a beast! I remember playing Grand Turismo 2 on my PS1 as a kid and the yellowbird was always my go to, even though it was tricky to drive. Please keep making these awesome videos
Thank you, glad you enjoyed! And you're the second person on this one to comment on metric, so I'll certainly try to remember that for the next one :)
@@themotorsportstory show the metric numbers on screen while you're speaking in imperial (or the other way round, dosn't matter). that works best.
GT2 was easy for but in GT4, i spent 2 days arguing with it for how dangerous it is to handle
Great research, narration & production quality!
That truly means a lot, thank you!
@@themotorsportstory It’s just matter time and CZcams recommendations. Great content!
Dude, your videos are gold. I'm exited to see you go to 100k
Wow, thank you! That truly means a lot and I'm happy to have you as part of the journey!
@@themotorsportstory 👍
Had to sub after watching this. What a great story and so well told. Thank you from Wales 🏴!
Thanks so much!
Nice work! Glad I found your channel!
Thank you! Glad you're here!
Even tough I didn’t learned anything new of one of my absolutely favourite cars of all time. The video was still a great you to see. Good work! Like and subscription pushed👍
Thanks so much!
Yoo that story was dope man. Keep it up good work.📀✨✨👌🏼
Appreciate that a lot, thank you!
Lovely breakdown. Gotta have quads!
Didn't know that Ruf had done ground-up cars and man I bet they push as hot as they look
Very good Docu. Thx :)
Glad you liked it, thank you!
one of my favorite videos on yt is the one where stephan rozer does some laps in the yellowbird around the ring, def recommend watching it
Is it relatively new? I've obviously seen the original that's towards the end of this video :)
@@themotorsportstory yeah i was also talking about the original one, the one you added. truly a work of art
@@JuanGSR Absolutely!
Its Stefan Roser NOT stephan rozer def recommend do yyour homework before posting
@@10zoll "do my homework" for misspelling a word? yeah okay
Great video well done.
Thank you!
Fantastic video op.
Thank you!
Great Video! Thx!!!
Thank you!!
nice fit and finish on your video, punching well above your sub count, here's another sub
Thanks so much! Welcome!
Great presentation,top notch...
Thanks so much!
Incredible video
Thanks so much!
Great video on a legendary car
Thank you!
Amazing video
I appreciate that, thank you!
Great vid, you should see mine actually inside the Yellowbird ,with Stefan , at the ring... and I drove it.
I still have all my Road & Track issues from that era (including their Exotic Cars Special Edition issues). Good times.
Well, the company RUF has been in business since 1939 adding a gas station and coaches to his company after war. Before acquiring his first Porsche, Alois Ruf sr. worked also on customers Porsches.
The 5 speed isn't a real development by Ruf, it is based on Porsche's G50 transmission. You could also get its predecessor the BTR in narrow body form.
The test you are referring to where not made by road&track, it was held by German car magazine "Auto, Motor & Sport" in late 1988 at Nardo, Italy.
The driver of the famous lap on the Nürburgring, Stefan Röser, was a car journalist and they made tests for that magazine. Since they had paid for another 30mins of helicopter time, Stefan made the suggestion to film a whole lap. Nobody thought anyone could be interested in watching a whole lap. But...
I never said the Nardo test was done by Road & Track, sorry if that was unclear. And yes, I'm glad they filmed the whole lap, the car world is better off for it!
Bro your Production Level is so damn high, you could easily already be a dude having over a milion subs
Imagine when he'll get there how good his videos are going to be!
Wow that means a lot, thank you!
@@sevay696 👍Agreed! It’s just a matter of CZcams’s recommendations getting it right.
But yes, this a great channel to sub to!
only a minute and a half in, and i love this man... gets passed by a car, which then goes out of control and crashes, rolls twice... and his thought, i must have that car...🤣🤣🤣 i would've got along well with that dude.
Might not have been my first thought, but I can't say I blame him 🤣
Awesome!
Thank you!
Time flies when watching automotive history on this channel!
Thank you, glad to hear it!
Don’t know if it still stands but at one time Puerto Rico had the most Ruf’s per square mile in the world. Remember as a kid of my dad talking to his friends who sent 10 911’s to Germany to be converted into Ruf Porsches.
What🫨🫨you saying is there were ruf's in puerto rico too how in the world did that happen 🤯🤯.
@@milfordh.mercado2787 I cannot give you exact details as this was a long time ago, maybe 80’s or 90’s but as I understand a bunch of people shipped their 911/930’s to Ruf to be converted, I’m sure there is a registry out there that has the cars information, look thought my channel, there is a picture of a Ruf 930 that I took a few months ago at the mall.
@hectorfuji thanks and i saw that 930 ruf too it's nice ride don't you agree 😉.
Wow, that's super interesting! Thanks for sharing!
This car was insane when I was a kid
Nice documentary.
Thanks!
This video brought back lots of memories sitting in that Car in VR(since Oculus Dev Kit 2 days), i stopped counting how many Kilometers i drove the Yellowbird in Games and Simulations in my Life,must be ober 50k Km or more, even had the World Record at the Nürburgring in Project Cars 1, with the Yellowbird,CTR3,RGT8 and RT12 R. All of them without any driving Aids, i just love these sort if cars, a Car ony a handfull of people can handle. Also love driving it on Assetto but sad there is no real Time Trail, where i can compete again. Even tough everyone tells me to visit RUF here in germany, as i was or maybe still be the fastest virtual RUF Driver, i never taught that will be worth someting in the real world. But i hope atleast, to have a seat in the real one someday...
I love driving the CTR in sims also! And I'm right there with you, hoping to drive the real thing someday🙂
I remember this car from the Test Drive 2: The Duel game. Fun times with my brother passing higscores, he with the F40 and me with the RUF. But we all knew RUF was faster.
This video was too short. Left me wanting more! 😁
Glad you enjoyed!
Even Jesus would decide for a RUF Porsche 911
213 is insane 😮
Thanks for leaving the German ad untranslated, man. Much appreciated (no sarcasm, please do not misunderstand)
No problem!👍
Sweet sweet Gran turismo. Saw one at a show in Dublin a few years ago. This car is tiny by today’s standards I’d imagine it’s a riot to drive.
Nice video
Thank you!
The CTR went 213mph later on that day in the rain but the shootout was over…..RUF…💚
i drove one of these in a simulator and everything makes so much more sense now
Porsche so beautiful, and ferrari! Forget about it 😮
Just like Mr.Ruf I got goosebumps watching this video.
Thank you! I went a little more "overly-dramatic" in this video than I normally do, but I'm glad you enjoyed it.
I never seen a ruf on the road before but I know I want one lol but nowadays Porsche with its turbo s is so fast that it doesn’t need to be upgrading to a ruf all gas ⛽️ powered cars are fast now it’s not like the 70s or 80s that cars cannot make it up a hill lol 😂 😂 my favorite is the ruf ctr that car is so good looking 👀 to bad it’s a car that a million bucks 😢
Thats right. Those Custom Shops are dont need anymore. Today you can buy a Car, Race Ready from the Factory, like a GT3 or a Z06.
This video makes me wanna play gran turismo 2 again
Before the Ruf CTR Yellowbird there was the NATO! The story is that Alois Ruf got fed up of people always buying his cars before they were fully developed and so he painted his development mule matt olive with a trashed interior. This car became infamous and locally nicknamed NATO.
Yep. Probably my favourite RUF. The NATO 930. As you said, it was their development car into which they swapped various drivetrains to test.
I had read about that car, but didn't know about the nickname! Thanks for the comment!
Love the porschei it's amazing fast ruf CTR
7:55 - there is an Isdera Imperator in the 2nd row on the left :)
What a crazy car that one was! :)
I think if i could have any car 🚗 on this planet it would be the Porsche 959 ,i love the f40 and mclaren f1 but i would most definitely ride around in the Porsche, first I'd fully jack her up and hammer down all the fire trails and rough side streets 🤟
Unstoppable is the word i describe the yellowbird with over 500hp has to be a rocket ship for the ultimate enthusiast to experience in the 80s anyway thanks for the nice work on this video and have a nice weekend bye now.
Unstoppable for sure! I think I'd be too scared to drive one of these at the limit, you certainly have to respect the car. Glad you enjoyed the video and hope you have a great weekend too!
@@themotorsportstory thanks 😄😄.
The F40 only makes 500hp on dyno but the CTR made 540hp ☠️
@lvl90luxio What the yellowbird made 540hp oh great it was faster than f40 so this means ferrari was completely lost that day's high-speed reward to a germany tuner i wander many tears were shed in ferrari hq that night anyway thanks for responding and have good day bye now.
@@milfordh.mercado2787 im afraid it gets worst in their Formula 1 team right now, they lost their pride after Vettel's defeat
Anyway the F40 is still faster on the corners than the CTR so i wont say the Ferrari lost it, the CTR wasnt built to eat corners like a 911 Turbo 😬
RUF at the time the CTR came out wasn’t a repair shop it was and is considered a manufacturer, Porsche sends RUF bodies in white with no vin number when the cars leave the RUF factory they have a RUF vin number!
Correct🙂 The title of the video is a nod to their humble beginnings
To date, the best car in the world
Test Drive II by Accolade. RUF Twin Turbo.
RUF. im probably too old and broke at this point, but anything from ruf would have been thoroughly thrashed and loved had i only had the chance
I want a ctr 3 club sport 😊
You should do a story on the jaguar xj13, one of the best looking cars to never race, look it up
Thanks for the idea! I'll add it to the list :)
Yeah.. Porsche just made a design so good, they just reused it a bunch of times. And it works.. Porsche goated.
Went in a flat nose red 1 & it was CRAZY
I'm sure it was a lot of fun!
Old school boost power!
It was building building then pinned you in the seat, your body was pinned to the seat.
I will never ever forget it & wish I knew where it lives now, owner was a gliding club owner & doing well for himself.
Incredible car.
Wow I had no idea that ruf was once just a random workshop.
2024 the Yellowbird is still running...is that specific F40 still on the road?
I always pronounced it rough (Ruf) all these years 😂 Nice to know the proper way to say it is roof
I saw one of these about 12 years ago in Bentonville Arkansas where I live. I’m guessing it was Rob Waltons
That's a pretty fair guess! He's probably one of the only people in Bentonville who could afford one.
@@themotorsportstory About 8 years ago I also saw a Ferrari 288 GTO here. I’m guessing it was also Rob’s. Appreciate the video! Definitely subscribing! Only heard about and played with these cars in Gran Turismo.
Aah...the Yellowbird.
I read about it back then. The F 40 was spectacular...yes..and over 300 Km/h was truly an achievement.
However, the F40 looked like a clone of an F1 and a race car.
The RUF looked like an everyday driver Porsche and beat the F40! A skilled driver would get a hard one by driving it, an amateur driver would shit his pants at the first corner. What a car!
🤣 Accurate description! They're both truly amazing cars.
Very nice video !
Although comparing an overboosted yellow car without any dynamics development (chassis, suspension, kinematics etc), to a complete professionally developed engineered package (the red one) is not fair for the porsche.
But we must admit that in a fully straight line without any external disturbances, simply in pure straight speed, the Porsche is faster than the F 40.
Thank you. And yes the comparison is a little "apples to oranges" in that sense, but I wanted to acknowledge what a company with far fewer resources than Ferrari was able to accomplish and sell the story in a fun way.
One big thing you forgot to mention is why RUF's are production cars. Ruf bought/buys its cars from Porsche without a VIN number. They then got a Ruf VIN. This is why we got Ruf in Gran turismo when Need for speed had all the rights to Porsche.
I personally think thats the second biggest moment of Rufs history.
1.Yellowbird
2. Gran turismo.
I agree! I think Gran Turismo and other racing games played a huge part in getting younger enthusiasts excited about the brand 🙂
fun fact: the man who drove the ruf on the numburgring actually never been on the track before, and he set the best time on it
Wow, that gives even more perspective here!
I mean I love this yellow bird but one car is missing from that list that also was a record breaker but was a tiny bit late and that’s is the callaway corvette sledgehammer we can’t forget about that car..
Another amazing car for sure :)
I've driven that particular car in real life. It's surprisingly easy to drive, much easier than my 911SC.
Wow, that's awesome! Surprising it would be easier than the SC!
Good ol Alloys Ruf lol
Haha, that's how he pronounces his name in interviews. Figured it was better to pronounce it how the man himself says it even though I'm American and I've heard some people say Aloo-ees (since it's spelled Alois)
I guess the last comeuppance with time passed is that short of a very short mileage F40 with perhaps notable pedigree - the Canary commands more dollars on the auction podium today.
Crazy isn't it!
Another reason RUF is recognized around the world is thru video games. The video game company EA had the rights of license of using Porsche on other video games on the early 2000's. But since RUF had their own VIN numbers on their "Porsches" ,companies like Gran Turismo used RUF instead of Porsche to not pay EA. Some other video games got Porsche like Forza, but it looks like EA got greedy since later Forza games started using RUFs.
That's how I know the company RUF and the awesome Yellow Bird.
Yup, that's how I was first introduced to Ruf! When I was a child I thought that it was a fake brand that the game companies created to avoid paying Porsche haha! Nice Miata btw :)
It is amazing how many cars were built because people were pissed at Enzo.
Go find a video of Steve Beddor in his RUF
Epic!
1:00 Is the story about Alois Ruf Sr. witnessing an accident in 1963 and thus starting the Ruf story really true? Wikipedia say that in 1960 Alois Jr. already began servicing and restoring Porsche automobiles out of his father's garage.
Alois Jr. tells the story in multiple interviews, so I'd have to assume there's some truth to it.
Wrong festival / city, the Porsche team would be at the Canstatter Wasn rather than the Oktoberfest in Munich.
Sorry, I'm not a big beer fan and it showed haha
Porsch is from Stuttgart
They have the Kanstatter Wasen.
It’s the second biggest fair in the world. And no one from Stuttgart would go to Munich.
Regards from Baden-Württemberg.
Haha didn't realize there was such rivalry there, thank you for educating me! Pfaffenhausen looks like it's a bit closer to Munich, so maybe Ruf would still go there 😉 And of course the Oktoberfest line was a joke not meant to offend anyone. I have great respect for both Porsche and Ruf! Thank you for watching!
When you see that a video is less than 13 minutes long and are disappointed...
😂 Next time I'll add 12 seconds of suspenseful music to the end to get it to 13 minutes
@@themotorsportstory A 45 Minute Docu on RUF would be a master piece
And gave licencing to early racing sim games like gran turismo to snag a future preformance generations' attention!!
Yes, it's really interesting how they were able to capitalize on that.