1988 Ruf CTR
Spark - 65182 (resin)
Published 09/19/18
The Ruf CTR (Group C, Turbo Ruf) was produced by Ruf Automobile GmbH from 1987 to 1996. Ruf built a total of 29 cars, using unmarked Porsche chassis (BIW – “body in white”) of the 1987 911 Carrera 3.2. Over this chassis went a body with lightened panels, an integrated roll cage and upgraded suspension and braking systems. Aerodynamics got a lot of attention. Ruf de-guttered and seam-welded the body, while covered door pillars with filler panels. One of the visual characteristics of the CTR was the aero 935-style rear-view mirror, though the client could have any style of mirror.
But the star of the car was the engine. Ruf used a standard 3.2 l Porsche boxer-6 and completely rebuilt it. Expanded to 3367 cm³ and after receiving twin-turbos it could produce an impressive (for the time) 469 hp. Coupled to a custom-designed transmission, it could take the car from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.65 seconds. The CTR was fast: top speed of 342 km/h! When it was first released, it could outperform the Porsche 959, Ferrari F40 and Lamborghini Diablo to 160 km/h and reach a considerably higher top speed. And, for several years, the CTR held the unofficial lap record at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife track.
When Road & Track magazine asked Ruf to test a CTR, Ruf sent them a yellow one (their prototype). With the car’s fantastic performance it was nicknamed “Yellowbird”, and became an icon among petrolheads. After I got my CTR3 and CTR2 there was no way that I could do without a CTR. Took me a while, but now the trio is complete. Being from Spark, it’s a gem of a model, finely detailed. Moreover, one of the things that calls out to me in this particular one was the original 935 mirror. But, if you prefer, you can also find versions with regular 911 mirrors.