The name Alois Ruf is synonymous with unique, highly tuned Porsches – the kind that make even non-Porsche lovers stop and stare. Although the Pfaffenhausen-based company was started in 1939, it was the RUF CTR that blew the company’s profile worldwide in 1987. Nicknamed the “Yellow Bird,” the CTR stunned the motoring press when it hit a shocking 211 mph just weeks after the F40 had been the first car to reach the magic 200.

How had such a small manufacturer managed to beat a powerhouse like Ferrari in mere weeks? For starters, RUF bored out the standard 3.2-liter flat-six to 3,366 cc, fitted a fuel-injection system that had been developed for the 962 racers, and finished it all off with a set of turbochargers and twin intercoolers. RUF’s own five-speed gearbox completed it all – bringing the power rating to an eye-watering 469 bhp. For 1987, these numbers were all but impossible. The Yellow Bird was an instant legend, and everyone wanted a piece.

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.

Kept by the Beddor brothers until 2001, the car was then sold to Steven Dix of Arizona. Sold once more to New Jersey, invoices show that the CTR C4 had been in storage for some years. A 2011 service was performed to the cost of $6,400 before the RUF was exported to the UAE in 2014.

To the uninitiated this car might just look like any other Porsche, but for those in the know, this all-wheel-drive RUF CTR C4 is a rare bird indeed.