Ruf Automobile is synonymous with exclusive, highly tuned Porsches—the kind that make even non-Porsche lovers stop and stare. Founded in 1939 as a service garage in Pfaffenhausen, Germany by Alois Ruf, its focus evolved from restoring and tuning Porsches to building highly tuned performance cars from the ground up using Porsche platforms. Now officially recognized as a manufacturer by the German government, it was the 911 Carrera-based Ruf CTR that blew the company’s profile worldwide in 1987.

Nicknamed “Yellow Bird” after its bright yellow paint scheme, the CTR stunned the motoring press when it hit a shocking 211 mph just weeks after the Ferrari F40 had reached the magical 200-mph mark. To beat a powerhouse like Ferrari, Ruf bored out the standard 3.2-liter flat-six engine to 3,366 cubic-centimeters, fitted a fuel-injection system developed for the Porsche 962 race car, and finished with a set of twin turbochargers and intercoolers. Ruf’s own five-speed manual transaxle completed the package.

For brothers Steve and David Beddor, Porsche enthusiasts and club racers from Minnesota, the CTR was an excellent start, but they sought something more tailored to their needs: a car capable of rallies across America and hill climbs through the deserts and mountains of the southwest. They ordered two 1990 Porsche 911 Carrera 4s (chassis code 964), which were shipped to Ruf for upgrading. The history file details modifications to the tune of $285,000, including the fitting of a 3.4-liter Ruf engine and six-speed manual transaxle. The body was finished in Polar White. Importantly, both cars featured all-wheel drive—the only two 964 CTRs so equipped.

Offered here is one of these very cars. Registered in their father’s name, the Beddor brothers rallied this Ruf CTR C4 extensively and quite successfully. Their twin Rufs, one black and one white, were a common sight at American racing events.

The Beddors kept the car until 2001, selling it to Steven Dix of Arizona. It changed hands once more to an owner in New Jersey, who stored for the car for some years before having it serviced in 2011. The work, totaling $6,400, included replacing the air and fuel filters, the fluids, the battery, and the spark plugs, refurbishing the clutch assembly with new slave and master cylinders, installing stainless steel brake lines, and removing the fuel cell to have a new bladder installed.

The CTR briefly changed hands a couple of times, passing through an exotic-car leasing company in Woodbury, Connecticut followed by a dealer in Houston, Texas, before being exported to the United Arab Emirates in 2014. In 2018, the car was acquired by an owner in California, who had it fitted with Recaro sport seats trimmed in carbon-fiber-look vinyl with Alcantara inserts and lime green trim. In December of 2020, this owner commissioned more than $8,800 of servicing at C&C Repair of Monterey, California, which included a complete clutch rebuild and an oil change. The car has been under current ownership since May of 2021.

Any Ruf-built Porsche is a special find, highly prized by marque enthusiasts. That this example is one of only two Ruf CTR Carrera 4’s ever produced makes it even more exceptional. Add to this its known provenance, competition history, and documented service and clearly this CTR Carrera 4 is one of the most unique and desirable 964-chassis Porsches to come to market in recent memory.