Hot Lap of Nurburgring

[Black Horse]

"Yellowbird" '87 RUF CTR 01 Porsche from the drivers seat!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6Thomd4BQg

[BigBadStang]

ummm...a tad smoother throttle app would definately lower his lap times! :lol:

[DeckerEnt]

He almost lost it a few times. Lots of over and under steer.
Keith

[Gene]

Walter Röhrl and the Yellowbird...one of the most beautiful "Porsches" ever.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploads6/PICT2484yellowbird1127155206.jpg

It's amazing that a car that looks so similar to a stock 1980s SC or Carrera can be so different.

[Sharad]

that video is a classic!

[Kevin Doe]

Wow, talk about a hyperactive steering wheel operator. LOL. I'd say half of the understeer/oversteer is from him going nuts with teh wheel. Either that or he's got like 1/2" of slop in his tie rod ends. LOL.

[Black Horse]

Wow, talk about a hyperactive steering wheel operator. LOL. I'd say half of the understeer/oversteer is from him going nuts with teh wheel. Either that or he's got like 1/2" of slop in his tie rod ends. LOL.

You might want to TRY to drive a rear engine Porsche once....I have the HIGHEST respect for these guys! Swatting flys is a way of life!

[Kevin Doe]

You might be onto somethign there. All I know is that it looked pretty much crazy. Even with my limited expereince, I'd still think there is a faster way around the track than drastically exceeding the optimum slip angle and sliding in every corner. If thats just how hte cars handle, count me out, I value my life. lol

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

If i remember right the Yellow Bird was around 550hp, in a rear wheel drive car. None of that fancy AWD stuff they have now and i don't even think they used traction control. Definitely a wild animal to tame, not to mention on probably the wildest race track in the world.

[Sharad]

I nearly swapped ends driving a 911 once. Pretty scary.

[Mista Bone]

You might want to TRY to drive a rear engine Porsche once....I have the HIGHEST respect for these guys! Swatting flys is a way of life!

with the inside front tire in the air when hooked up............

Also consider the choices of tire back then, likely just running Yokohamas.

[Evil_Capri]

Walter Röhrl and the Yellowbird...one of the most beautiful "Porsches" ever.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploads6/PICT2484yellowbird1127155206.jpg

It's amazing that a car that looks so similar to a stock 1980s SC or Carrera can be so different.

Agreed! I love that car.

From roadandtrack.com

Ruf CTR
Speed at 1 mile: 185.8 mph — 4th
Time to 1 mile: 28.6 sec — 7th (tie)

When this Ruf CTR, aka Yellow Bird, first appeared in Road & Track — in the July 1987 "World's Fastest Cars" cover story in which it went 211 mph at Volkswagen's Ehra-Lessien track in Germany — there was a young waiter at a Bennigans restaurant in Houston who idolized Alois Ruf and one day hoped to build fast cars of his own. His name: John Hennessey.

So when the noted Viper tuner sees Yellow Bird in our lineup, he's totally stoked...like a kid seeing his dream car for the first time. At Lemoore, though, John's enthusiasm is matched by that of Steve Millen, who drives Yellow Bird — now with more than 100,000 kilometers on its odometer — to a scintillating speed of 185.8 mph in the standing mile, notably squatting with each upshift of its super-quick 28.6-sec. run.

Not bad for a 18-year-old car. Although it's not quite as quick as a modern Trans-Am car, it has a higher speed at the end of the mile.

When Steve gets out, his eyes are smiling from within his full-face helmet. All he can say is: "Wow!" Continues Steve: "That thing's a blast. It accelerates hard. It's a real old-school car with a lot of torque and power. Just awesome. What a rush. It pulled the whole way through. You can feel that it's lighter than some of the other cars." Then, as he gives Alois a thumbs-up sign of approval, he adds, "It's a good old car."

The understatement of the day.

www.rufautocentre.com

Curb weight est 2580 lb

Horsepower 469 bhp

Pounds per horsepower est 5.5

Gearbox 5-speed manual

Tires Dunlop SP Sport 8000; 205/50ZR-17 f, 255/40ZR-17 r

Catalytic converters no

http://www.roadandtrack.com/assets/image/2005/8122005115559.jpg

[Mista Bone]

Hey Dave/Black Horse, you have any of those Ruf's over in your neck of the woods still?

"scared stupid" is my only comment, took me awhile to say ANYTHING!