While rare and rather special, it is a car anybody would recognize. A small child would point to it and say “vroom.” It is a car you see every day. It is a car that is easy to ridicule, but impossible to dismiss as irrelevant. The Porsche 911. I said this one was rather special, so before you have the chance to point out how ordinary the 911 is, let me explain which 911 I am talking about. Not the run-of-the-mill silver 2001 911 with a questionable reputation for reliability that is currently listed on EBAY for a very reasonable "Buy it Now." Instead, this is a 911 in HD, if you will. A 911 so modified it doesn't even say Porsche anywhere on it. Indeed, the fastest 911. The RUF CTR, popularly known as the “yellow bird.”
If you were a reader of car magazines in the 1980's you know this car well. If not, a little history lesson:
RUF is a manufacturer of cars, but not in the normal way. They don't start with iron ore, sand, and oil to create automobiles like Ford or Daimler. That is too plebeian, too ordinary. Gordon Ramsey does not grow the wheat he uses to make bread, after all. To RUF, a 911 turbo is a good starting point, a raw material that can be molded into a proper car. To the guys at RUF, it has a few of the required ingredients, like four wheels and some glass, but is incomplete. As a result, most of the complicated stuff is replaced by more "suitable" parts. The engine is a hand built intercooled turbo mill with a race car computer running everything. The transmission has five gears, rather than the regular cars four. The suspension uses spherical bushings instead of rubber, the shocks are made by Koni, the wheels are substantially larger forged aluminum alloy and shod with the best Pirelli P7's, the brakes are lifted directly from a LeMans racer of the day. The body was smoothed, and the front and rear bumpers were changed to reduced lift. The rear wing was reshaped to reduce drag and improve airflow into the engine compartment. As a result of all the work, the BTR was capable of 187MPH. In 1984. But Alois Ruf knew there was more potential in the car.
In 1987 the CTR was introduced. It sported a completely new engine with two turbos and an under-rated 465HP. This time RUF chose a basic, “narrowbody” 911. Removing the rain gutters, reducing body gaps, fitting NACA ducts for cooling, refining the “whale tale” rear spoiler, and changing the underbody. This resulted in a significant reduction of drag and lift compared with the BTR or the regular 911. With the added power of the new engine and a more aerodynamic body, the car was capable of 211MPH. On timed acceleration runs it was so powerful, the rear tires never achieved grip down the entire drag strip. It would cross the 1/4 mile line sideways billowing tire smoke. While truly massive power was on tap, the car was quiet, composed. The A/C worked, the windows went up and down when asked. The level of refinement was rivaled only by the level of lunacy. It was faster than the Ferrari, Lamborghini, Corvette, and Porsche at the competition. In fact, it held the record until the mid 1990's.
So now you know what it is, why is it the most entertaining car in the world? First, we must define “entertaining.” New cars are certainly fast, or safe, or efficient, but rarely are they entertaining. With very few exceptions, new cars have too much grip, not enough power, and an electronic nanny to ensure they are not entertaining. For 99.9% of the car buying public, this is a good thing. For those of us that crave the sound, smell, thrill of surviving an encounter with the truly frightening, there is the RUF CTR. There is a primal part of our brain that responds to machines like the CTR. It is also the part of our brain that can get us killed, so try to keep these things in perspective. If a normal car is represented by a bowl of oatmeal – safe, bland, good for your colon, then the CTR is a plate of eclairs smothered in pork BBQ on a bed of crispy bacon with a shaken RedBull and a flaming cocktail to wash it down. You may truly enjoy the experience if you live through it. Part of the pleasure is in the danger. It is why people climb mountains, kayak, surf, or wrestle alligators. It makes you feel alive.
While obviously life threatening, the handling of the CTR is telepathic. Turn in is crisp, the pendulum effect of the rear weight bias is pronounced, exaggerated by all the power on tap. The power builds linearly, surprising considering the large turbochargers. The balance is mind blowing. The car can truly be steered with the throttle. The front end becomes very light at about 100MPH as the rear wing transmits real downforce to the back tires. The driving experience is truly unique, especially at the limit. While not easy to drive by any stretch of the imagination, it is very rewarding to tame this beast. Achieving a four wheel drift through a right-hander at 130MPH is a religious experience in the CTR.
Have I mentioned I have only driven this car on a simulator? Oh yes, I have never even seen a RUF in real life. To operate one in excess of parking lot speeds would require more testicular prowess than I possess. The combination of turbo lag, old tires, and trailing arms are diabolical. While it is true this car enjoys going around corners, it is supremely difficult to coax it into going around the corner you wish. It simply goes around a corner you didn't know existed, tail first, usually into the wall, or another car, or the pit lane. Maintaining a straight line is absurdly difficult. While on occasion, I have seen 200MPH on Mulsanne, I have never seen what is past the long, famous straight. It could be Disney Land, for all I know, because I always end up in the bushes. How the guys in Road & Track accomplished a full track test of this car in 1987 is beyond me.
So there it is the most entertaining car in the world, the RUF CTR. Of course, I mean on a simulator, where you will survive the experience. In real life, I would rather wrestle that alligator.
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