For Sale at Auction: 1985 Porsche 911 in Carmel, California

Chassis No. WP0ZZZ93ZFS000278

Some RUF conversions represent a single visit to Pfaffenhausen. This particular 911 Turbo represents two, spread across nearly five years, and a financial commitment that few owners of the era were prepared to match. What began as a well-specified Rest-of-World 911 Turbo Coupe evolved, order by order, into one of the most thoroughly developed RUF BTRs ever built.

The car left the Porsche factory in 1985 in special-order Dunkelblau (Dark Blue) over a full Leather to Sample interior. Its second owner, personally acquainted with Alois Ruf, purchased the car in late 1988 and traveled to Germany the following January to discuss a build directly with Ruf himself. Work began that June, placed through Gary Bohrman at Exclusive Motorcars in Upper Montclair, New Jersey, then RUF's only authorized outlet in the United States. That initial $37,000 order swapped in the 3.4-liter BTR engine and five-speed transmission, added an intercooler and new instrumentation, and introduced cockpit adjustment for turbo boost and brake bias. Exclusive Motorcars finished the work on 1 September 1989, with the freshly built BTR I engine rated at close to 400 horsepower.

Eighteen months on, a far larger commitment followed in December 1990 comprising a Motronic reflash to BTR III mapping, twin-plug ignition, polyurethane CTR front and rear bumpers, 17-inch Speedline Denloc wheels, a Quaife limited-slip differential, RUF's own six-speed transmission, and a 330-millimeter CTR brake package, alongside reinforced chassis bracing and reworked suspension mounting points. This second-stage BTR III build wrapped in June 1991 for a total of $93,000.

Bohrman pushed the limits of his BTR III further still. Barely half a year later, another $54,000 bought custom cylinder head work and a Formula 1-derived Zytek engine management system, sourced from Porsche's own 962 race program, along with camshafts, headers, a bespoke intercooler, and a reworked Garrett T04S turbocharger, this portion of the build handled by tuner Bob Holcombe of Mode Motorsports Design. A last $8,000 round in February 1994 added CTR camshafts and a corresponding Zytek recalibration, closing out a five-year development program that surpassed RUF's own factory BTR III specification. The performance numbers on file speak for themselves with an impressive 629 horsepower, 595 lb-ft of torque, and a curb weight of just 2,840 pounds, more than 100 pounds under stock.

Servicing continued at Exclusive Motorcars through May 1994. It remained under the diligent care of the same owner until it was purchased by the current owner in 2022. Since then, the car has undergone a comprehensive refresh at Autosport Technology of Orange, New Jersey totaling to nearly $60,000. The work included a complete repaint and the shaving of the drip rails, the same treatment RUF applied to the original CTR "Yellowbird." The fitment of RUF sport mirrors and all new seals and weatherstripping rounded out the exterior work, joined by refinished wheels wearing a fresh set of Michelin tires. The cabin was fully reupholstered with a new dashboard, headliner, carpet kit, and RUF floor mats, including leather faithfully reproduced to the original Dunkelblau color and specification.

It additionally received a full engine-out mechanical refresh by DeMan Motorsport of Upper Nyack, New York, with silicone hoses fitted throughout the intercooler and charge piping for improved heat dissipation, custom fuel lines and fittings fabricated specifically for the RUF BTR engine and its RUF-specific EFI module, a full electronic and mechanical tune, and thorough testing of the fuel and vacuum systems.

When sitting behind the three-spoke steering wheel, the RUF Ladedruck boost knob between the front seats looms large. Dial in the boost and let the 962-bred management deliver power in an unmistakable surge of RUF turbocharged power toward redline or dial it back for docile street manners. Few BTRs were built with this depth of commitment and today fewer still survive with their engine intact and a paper trail this complete. Engineered to exceed the extreme performance levels of RUF's own BTR III specification, this rare blue over blue 911 Turbo BTR III offers its next caretaker a rare chance to acquire the most thoroughly developed and carefully documented icons of performance to emerge from Pfaffenhausen.