For a while back in the late 80’s (about 9 months, I think) the Porsche 959 was the fastest production car in the world.
BUT… did it hit 200mph? The usual test these days is to take the car to Nardo or some other high speed bowl, but I can’t find any mention of the 959 being tested at any of them. Can someone clear this up for me?
http://autozine.kyul.net/959/959_7.htm#Performance
"They also recorded the acceleration for the Comfortable version, but that seemed to be rather slow (0-160 km/h in 9.5 sec, standing kilometre in 22.2 sec) Anyway, when it went back to the factory, a fault was found in the sequential turbo system, so please don’t be too serious about that. In contrast, the Sports version’s figures are 100% trustible.
Strangely, Road & Track’s super contest in 1987 which featured both 959s recorded the same data - 197 mph for Sports and 195 mph for Comfortable. The Sports took 3.6 sec for 0-60 mph (96.5 km/h), that is, approximately 3.7 sec if corrected to 0-100 km/h. They also performed the test in the VW test track… I believe R&T’s data must be obtained from AMS. It might act as a supporting role in the test. "
so… 197mph. SO CLOSE…
The 1987 Porsche Ruf 911 CTR “Yellow Bird” was certified at 211 mph. http://autozine.kyul.net/911/911_a13.htm
The RUF wasn’t a production car, though… thats what I’m really concerned about.
But don’t forget Porsche’s penchant for racing “production” cars, such as the 1968 917, pumped out in a limited run of 25. By 1971 917s were pushing 240 mph at Le Mans, but they weren’t exactly street legal–unless you count Gene Tice’s version.
Actually, RUFs are production cars…iffin’ you can afford 'em.
RUFs aren’t production cars… they are modified from their original form after leaving Stuttgart and the Porsche warranty is no longer applicable.
I suppose “production” is a bit iffy though… the 959 was just a homologation special to begin with.
Depends on what you consider ‘production’. Ruf is not an aftermarket tuner…they’re a manufacturer. The Ruf warranty applies.