A RUF CTR just sold for $3.05 million

This week a RUF-built twin-turbo 911 sold for more than $3 million, a 997 GT3 RS went for over three times its sticker, and we go back 59 years to a 911 R running flat-out for four days at Monza. About five minutes, as usual.

1. The Lede: A RUF CTR just sold for $3.05 million

On Monday, October 26, on Bring a Trailer, a 1981 911 Carrera converted to RUF CTR specification sold for $3,050,000. It started life as a Rest-of-World 911 Carrera and went to RUF in 1991, one of approximately 25 customer-supplied cars converted to CTR spec. RUF refurbished it in 2013 and again in 2023, for an owner who once ran a Formula One team (all per the listing).

The spec is serious: a twin-turbo 3,367cc flat-six that RUF rates at 469 hp at 5,950 rpm and 408 lb-ft, a RUF six-speed manual fitted in 2023, aluminum hood, roof and doors, an integrated roll cage, Recaro buckets with Pepita inserts and 17" RUF wheels. It shows 55,000 km (about 34,000 miles), fewer than 300 of them since the 2023 work. It drew 89 bids.

Why it matters: the CTR is the car that made RUF famous. In 1987 the "Yellow Bird" hit 211 mph in Road & Track's top-speed shootout at Ehra-Lessien, then starred in the "Faszination on the Nürburgring" video. RUF built 29 CTRs from bodies-in-white with its own VINs, plus 20 to 30 customer conversions like this one (per the listing). Motivyn's weekly tracker ranked it the biggest collector-car sale of its week, out of 1,475 cars sold.

Prices are BaT hammer prices. The buyer's 5% fee (minimum $250, maximum $7,500) is paid on top, so this buyer paid $3,057,500. Watching a live one? The Hypervelox auction watchlist collects them in one place.

2. Sold This Week: A $550k GT3 RS, a slant-nose Cab and a red 993 C2S

Three more results from Bring a Trailer this week, from Mezger-engined GT car to slant-nose convertible to late air-cooled coupe.

• $550,000: 22k-mile 2011 911 GT3 RS (997.2). Oct 30. One of 541 US-market cars, 3.8-liter Mezger flat-six rated 450 hp, six-speed manual, Gray Black with red graphics, ceramic brakes, red center-lock wheels; window sticker total of $172,390 (per the listing). Why it matters: that's about 3.2 times its original sticker. The last Mezger-engined RS cars keep pulling away from the rest of the water-cooled 911 market.
• $290,000: 32k-mile 1988 911 Turbo Cabriolet, factory M505 slant nose. Oct 30. US-market factory slant nose, Guards Red over black, 3.3-liter turbo flat-six rated 282 hp, four-speed manual; more than $15k of service in 2026, including an engine reseal and clutch (per the listing). Why it matters: this is Porsche's own slant-nose option, not an aftermarket conversion, on a Turbo Cabriolet. Fresh service and a clean Carfax let bidders pay up for a car they can actually drive.
• $265,000: 19k-mile 1998 911 Carrera S (993), six-speed. Oct 27. Guards Red over Cashmere Beige, Aerokit Turbo II, 18" Turbo Twist wheels, 3.6-liter flat-six rated 282 hp; Bilstein PSS10 coilovers, Fabspeed X-pipe, Cargraphic mufflers (per the listing). Why it matters: 1998 was the last year of the air-cooled 911, and the wide-body, rear-drive Carrera S is one of the most wanted late 993s. Low miles and a manual did the rest, even with tasteful modifications.

Prices are BaT hammer prices, before the buyer's fee.

3. Rear-View Mirror: Oct 31–Nov 4, 1967, a 911 R runs 96 hours flat-out at Monza

November 4, 2026 marked 59 years since one of the 911's toughest early tests. In the fall of 1967, Swiss drivers Jo Siffert, Dieter Spoerry, Rico Steinemann and Charles Vögele went to Monza to chase endurance world records. Their Porsche 906 Carrera 6 couldn't survive the bumpy banking and broke after about 20 hours, so the factory rushed down a 911 R, a lightweight with 210 hp and an 800 kg curb weight.

The 911 R restarted at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, October 31, in pouring rain. The crew marked the worst potholes on the banked walls with white arrows, cut rain grooves into dry tires by hand when the rain tires ran out, and kept going through fog. At 8 p.m. on Saturday, November 4, it had covered 20,000 km in 96 hours at an average of 209.23 km/h (Porsche Christophorus). The total: five world records and 14 international class records. Porsche built only 19 production 911 Rs, plus four test cars.

4. Pit Lane: Quick hits

• The 911 is bucking the trend: Porsche's worldwide deliveries fell 16% to 178,532 in the first nine months of 2026, but 911 deliveries rose 12% to 42,217. Porsche says GTS, Turbo and GT models made up a significant share (Porsche Newsroom).
• Derek Bell turns 85: born October 31, 1941, Bell won Le Mans five times, four with Porsche (1981 in the 936, 1982 in the 956, and 1986 and 1987 in the 962), and was world endurance champion in 1985 and 1986 (Porsche Newsroom).
• Another RUF on the block: a Speed Yellow 1997 RUF BTR2, the first of approximately 10 built on the 993, with 26k miles, a single-turbo 3.6-liter flat-six and a six-speed manual, was bid to $790,000 on BaT when the auction ended on Monday, November 2, but didn't meet its reserve, so it didn't sell.

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