Ruf CTR2 - History

History

Ruf came into the public eye in 1987 when they released their Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2-based CTR, an extremely limited-production model which for several years held the title of world's fastest production vehicle. Wanting an ultra-high performance model to remain among the company offerings, Alois Ruf Jr., the company owner, followed up the original with a CTR2 in 1995, based on the then-new 993-chassis 911 Turbo. Priced at $315,000 USD, the CTR2 featured standard all-wheel-drive, Recaro racing seats with Simpson five-point belts, enlarged brakes, an integrated roll-cage, a Ruf manufactured coil-over suspension system and a kevlar body with lightweight glass; power came from a Ruf-tuned version of the Porsche-built 3.6 litre, twin-turbocharged flat-six engine producing 520 hp (388 kW) and 505 foot-pounds (685 N·m) of torque. A later version of the same engine would bump the power output to 580 hp (433 kW).

Capable of running from 0-60 mph in under 3.5 seconds and hitting a top speed in excess of 220 miles per hour (354 km/h), the CTR2 was one of the fastest production vehicles in the world, capable of performing on-par with Ferrari's F50 and Jaguar's XJ220. The one million dollar McLaren F1 was the only production car at the time which performed better under testing.

To prove his new car's ability, in 1997, Alois Ruf entered two special wide-body 'CTR2 Yellowbird' prototypes, 'Sport' versions, code-named 'CTR2sport' with 702 hp (523 kW) in the 1997 Pikes Peak Hillclimb race. These cars were stringently built to both FIA and Pikes Peak regulations and driven by brothers Steve Beddor and David Beddor. Unlike the other competitors, both cars were not only race modified, but also duly road registered, tractable, street legal cars. In a demonstration of the Ruf's flexibility, they were street driven to and from the Pikes Peak racecourse, and as a lasting testament to the Ruf CTR2sport's enormous capabilities, Steve Beddor was 1st in overall qualifying (despite driving a legal street car) and finished 2nd overall in the race, while his brother David, (in the second Ruf) finished a close 4th overall. Steve Beddor's 'Pikes Peak' prototype; the Ruf CTR2sport, then went on to win the Virginia City Hill Climb an astonishing 3 times while racking up some 20 other 1st place finishes nationwide, making it arguably one of the most important 'non-Zuffenhausen' Porsche racecars of the 1990s.