Rare 1980s car worth $5M falls off back of car transporter in San Francisco in most expensive mistake
Published on Jul 21, 2025 at 4:39 PM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Jul 21, 2025 at 9:00 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
A rare 1980s car based on the Porsche 911 sports car, but built by Ruf, worth up to $5 million, fell off the back of a transporter in San Francisco, in what was a very costly mistake.
The car was a super rare Ruf CTR Yellowbird, based on the Porsche 911. They are some of the rarest sports cars ever made.
One was being delivered back to its owner after having work done at Ruf HQ in Germany, before the delivery driver messed up the unloading of the car.
The expensive sports car may have to go back to Germany to be fixed, after only just getting back.
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What happened to the rare 1980s car?
Footage on social media shows the Ruf CTR Yellobird sports car stranded at the top of the truck’s ramp.
It is pointing vertically, with the rear bumper and exhaust in contact with the ground.
An Instagram user was sitting with a friend, who had a call that his customer’s Ruf had fallen off the trailer.
It appears that the trailer driver forgot to block the tires, which caused it to get stuck in a precarious position.
There is no word on just how much damage was done to the car during the incident.
At the very least, the rear bumper may need painting again.
There is also possible damage to the underside and exhaust.
The Ruf Yellobird is worth several million dollars
If the owner is angry at this incident, it is no surprise, given the cost of the car.
At the time of its introduction in the 1980s, the Ruf Yellowbird was the fastest production car in the world.
It had a 3.4-liter flat-six engine under the hood, twin-turbocharged, making 463hp.
Its top speed was 213mph, and it earned the Yellowbird name due to the color of the press car seen in Road & Track magazine.
Ruf made fewer than 30 of the Yellowbirds, using the G-Series Porsche 911 as the basis.
The narrow-body Porsche 911 Carrera shell was used thanks to its lower weight and better aerodynamics.
In 2025, they are worth between $4-6 million, with one selling earlier in the year for $6.06m.
Hopefully, the damage to this particular rare 1980s car isn’t too bad.
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Henry is a content writer with nearly ten years experience, having written for various publications since 2017. Qualifying with a Sports Journalism degree from Staffordshire University, Henry loves all things automotive but has a particular soft spot for classic Japanese cars and anything Lancia. He also has a curious passion for steam locomotives.
