Gooding & Company, soon to be known as Gooding Christie’s, is set to return to Amelia Island on 6-7 March 2025. Early highlights include a number of 1980s and ’90 German legends, as well as a collection of iconic supercars.
One of the most significant is the Ruf CTR Yellowbird – a legend for good reason. When the CTR was crowned the world’s fastest car by Road & Track in 1987 – clocing an impressive 211mph – the magazine also gave it the nickname ‘Yellowbird’ – for obvious reasons. Contrary to assumptions at the time, even then the German manufacturer was rather more than ‘just’ a tuner. Using the 911’s narrower body style for outright top speed capability, the 930 running gear was significantly modified and fitted with a five-speed gearbox of Ruf’s own design – to give it longer legs, and comfortably take the strain from the 463bhp, 3.4-litre flat-six.
Although already a legend, the Yellowbird also found fame in the form of a VHS tape released by Ruf in 1989, named Faszination on the Nürburgring. If you haven’t seen this epic ten-minute video of Stefan Roser effortlessly sliding the CTR around the Green Hell, then you really need to seek it out on YouTube.
The car here is to be offered by Gooding Christie’s at Amelia Island and is described as ‘arguably the finest extant’. Chassis 026 (of 29 built) has covered just 1,700km from new and was specified with the most desirable Leichtbau configuration, not to mention the iconic Blutengelb (Blossom Yellow) colour and an optional six-speed manual. Spending its first 30 years in a private German collection, it was exported to the USA in 2020, where its perfect condition has been maintained. It’s estimated to sell for in excess of $6,000,000.
Adding to the RUF presence at Amelia is a 1997 RUF CTR2, one of only 18 built. Based on the 993-generation Porsche 911 Turbo, the CTR2 was RUF’s answer to the McLaren F1 and was one of the fastest production cars of its time. This particular car is the only known CTR or CTR2 finished in Adriatic Blue and has covered minimal mileage since new. Estimates place it between $2m and $2.5m.
A pair of pre-merger AMG Hammers will also be offered: a 1989 300 CE 6.0 Coupe and 1988 300 E 6.0 Sedan, both one-of-one specifications. These cars cemented AMG’s reputation as the dominant force in German high-performance tuning and paved the way for its eventual official partnership with Mercedes-Benz. Both have been meticulously preserved, with the Sedan showing just over 56,000km and the Coupe a mere 57,000km. Estimates place them between $1.25m and $2m apiece.
Among the Porsche highlights is a 1988 Porsche 959 Komfort with royal provenance, originally delivered to the
Sultan of Brunei. One of just 31 examples finished in Graphite Metallic, it remains in superb condition and is expected to fetch between $1.75m and $2.25m.
Also on offer is a selection of Ferraris and Lamborghinis from the Rosso Italiano Collection, all of which will be offered without reserve. The collection is led by a 1984 Lamborghini Countach 5000S, with an estimate of $575,000 to $650,000. Joining it is a 1991 Lamborghini Diablo with under 4000 miles, a 165-mile 2002 Ferrari 575M, a 1980 Ferrari 512 BB, and a 1986 Ferrari Testarossa in its desirable early Monospecchio specification.
Find out more about the sale at goodingco.com
