RUF justice

Sir,

I read your ‘60 years of Ferrari’ issue with great interest, especially your feature on the F40 – my second-favourite Ferrari (after the 250SWB). Normally, I would unquestioningly accept the facts presented in your magazine, but in this instance I must strongly disagree with your statement: “When it came out in 1987, the F40 was the fastest car in the world, quicker and more powerful than its rival the Porsche 959, and the first car ever to have a three-digit top speed which began with a ‘2’.” 

The fastest production car in the world in 1987 was actually the Ruf CTR. Developed in 1986 with production in 1987, these cars were manufactured at the Ruf factory in Pfaffenhausen, Germany and carry their own unique vehicle identification numbers. 

It may not exactly be a household name, but Ruf Automobile GmbH is recognized internationally as an automobile manufacturer and has been since 1981. The most famous Ruf CTR is the prototype (chassis no 001), better known as ‘Yellowbird’. This is the very car that set all the top-speed records – generally in the region of 211 or 212mph, as recorded by magazines such as Road & Track, Sport Auto and Auto Motor und Sport.

Frankly, I could not find evidence of any F40 exceeding 200mph during this period. My six-speed Ruf CTR achieved 215mph (two-way average) on the autobahn last year during pre-delivery testing with the Ruf factory test driver.

R Paul Harrison, Burritt’s Rapids, Ontario, Canada