logo
Watch: Oops! Super rare Porsche 911-based RUF falls off car carrier

Watch: Oops! Super rare Porsche 911-based RUF falls off car carrier

The Citizen10 hours ago
In what can only be described as a major 'oops', an extremely rare Porsche 911-based RUF fell off a car carrier when delivered back to its owner in San Francisco, California, following its return from RUF's headquarters in Germany, where it was freshly painted in black. So, how exactly did this accident happen?
Well, this RUF Yellowbird's rear wheels weren't correctly fixed to the transporter. So, upon delivery, it rolled off the 2.4m-tall ramp and hit the ground. According to footage circulating online (watch the footage shared by Spike Feresten on Instagram below), only the rear bumper and exhaust touched the ground. However, the car was wedged between the ramp and the ground.
John Clay Wolf wrote on Instagram: 'Sitting with a friend when he gets the call that his customer's RUF Yellowbird fell off the trailer. The guy had just sent the car back to Germany to have it painted black. It makes it all the way home to SF [San Francisco], then the driver forgets to block the tires – and this happens.'
Based on the 993-generation Porsche 911, the CTR Yellowbird is one of the rarest models ever built by RUF – the car you see here being one of only 29 sold. As such, it's an extremely sought-after collector's car. In 2025, one example sold for $6m – a whopping R107m at the current exchange rate – under the gavel. The RUF CTR Yellowbird was the world's fastest production car when it was introduced in the late 1980s, with its 3.4-litre twin-turbocharged flat-six engine's 345kW peak power output allowing it to reach a top speed of 343km/h.
A 1998 CTR 2 Sport is now heading to Broad Arrow Auctions' 2025 Monterey auction event, and is expected to fetch between R55.5m and R64.75m.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Spike Feresten (@spikeferesten)
Browse thousands of new and used vehicles here with CARmag!
The post Oops! Super Rare Porsche 911-Based RUF Falls Off Car Carrier appeared first on CAR Magazine.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Trump's tariff hammer to break SA automotive sector
Trump's tariff hammer to break SA automotive sector

Daily Maverick

time6 hours ago

  • Daily Maverick

Trump's tariff hammer to break SA automotive sector

With just days to go before the full force of Donald Trump's 30% tariff barrage kicks in, South Africa's most successful export sector is facing a high-speed collision with American industrial nationalism. It's like watching a car crash. In the first half of 2025, South African manufacturers shipped just 2,875 vehicles to the US, an 82% collapse from the 16,112 exported during the same period in 2024. This isn't just a statistical blip; it's the sound of an entire industry ecosystem screeching to a sudden halt. The automotive sector, South Africa's manufacturing heavyweight that contributed 5.3% to GDP in 2023 and supports more than half a million jobs across its value chain, is reeling from what could be described as a perfect storm of American protectionism. A cascading series of US tariffs that began with a 25% sectoral tariff on automobiles in April 2025, escalated through May with extended component coverage, and culminated in a sweeping 30% general tariff on all South African goods effective on Friday, 1 August 2025. For more than two decades, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) had been the golden bridge connecting South African manufacturing prowess with American consumer appetite. In 2024, automotive products accounted for 64% of all of the country's Agoa-based trade with the US, generating R28.6-billion in export revenue. Diplomacy on a tight deadline With the clock ticking towards August, President Cyril Ramaphosa has pulled out all the stops. He personally engaged Trump, dispatched Trade Minister Parks Tau into last-ditch negotiations, and greenlit a Framework Deal that proposes duty-free quotas (40,000 vehicles annually), capped fallback tariffs (10%) and, controversially, preferential access for US LNG providers into South Africa's energy mix. A high-level Eastern Cape delegation even travelled to Stuttgart to plead South Africa's case directly to Mercedes-Benz global leadership. And on Thursday, 24 July, the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition signed what officials call a 'condition precedent document' – not a final deal, but a placeholder pending further negotiations. As Tau's spokesperson Kaamil Alli clarified: 'The document signed is a precursor to finalising the deal. Negotiations are ongoing.' The US, meanwhile, insists the tariffs are justified by 'unsustainable trade deficits' and 'national security threats' under section 232 of its Trade Expansion Act, despite South African-built vehicles making up less than 1% of US imports. From Pretoria's perspective, the deficit claims are more political than factual, with more than 77% of US goods entering South Africa duty-free. High speed handbrake turn Recognising that diplomacy may not deliver in time, South Africa is simultaneously pivoting east and inwards. The African Continental Free Trade Area is being fast-tracked as an alternative growth engine. In July, Deputy President Paul Mashatile led a trade mission to China, pitching South Africa as a springboard into Africa and wooing automotive investors like BAIC – which has still not delivered on local assembly promises at its Coega plant. Domestically, the government is considering an expansion of the Automotive Production and Development Programme to shield local manufacturers from global shocks. The recently launched BMW X3 plug-in hybrid production line in Rosslyn is being heralded as a vote of confidence in the country's EV ambitions. Meanwhile, a R26-billion Transformation Fund is being floated to consolidate supplier development money into more impactful pipelines. Ramaphosa's industrial strategy, says Tau, is rooted in 'decarbonisation, diversification and digitalisation' – a three-pronged survival plan for a sector hanging by a thread. Beyond the seven major carmakers (BMW, Ford, Isuzu, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Toyota and Volkswagen) it's the component sector – 150 brands across 210 plants – that may suffer death by 1,000 cuts. These firms employ 82,000 people and supply nearly half their output directly to local assemblers. A disrupted supply chain means halted production. A tourniquet to stop the bleeding But the damage is already seeping through. The Automotive Business Council reports sequential declines of 73%, 80% and 85% in vehicle exports to the US for Q1, April and May 2025 respectively. Economists project a 0.3% annual GDP hit and a R40-billion hole in trade revenue. For Mercedes-Benz's East London plant, where almost 90% of C-class production is built for American roads, the numbers translate directly to job losses and economic fallout. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana estimates that 100,000 jobs could evaporate if a new trade deal isn't reached. 'My prayer is that we get a deal by August 1st. If not, we need an extension. This is not just numbers – it's livelihoods,' he told Bloomberg TV. The National Association of Automotive Component and Allied Manufacturers warns of a domino effect, with Tier 2 and Tier 3 suppliers – often black-owned, less diversified and undercapitalised – being first to fall. The broader concern? A permanent hollowing-out of local manufacturing capacity, one bolt at a time. And unless something gives before 1 August, South Africa's automotive crown jewel may not just lose its shine, it will shatter. DM

Slate Auto still betting big on simplified, affordable EV pickup
Slate Auto still betting big on simplified, affordable EV pickup

TimesLIVE

time6 hours ago

  • TimesLIVE

Slate Auto still betting big on simplified, affordable EV pickup

When Will Haseltine saw images online of a small, boxy electric pickup from start-up Slate Auto earlier this year he immediately got onto the waiting list. The sparse interior and crank windows reminded him of the no-frills pickups he grew up with in Memphis, Tennessee — but he was most enamoured with the sub-$20,000 (R357,069) price tag. That price, though, factored in a $7,500 (R133,904) federal tax break, which is set, a casualty of the budget package US President Donald Trump signed into law earlier this month. Now Haseltine isn't sure the truck will fit his budget when it comes out, expected late next year. 'The Slate was the first time I looked at a car, wanted it, and could also make it happen,' said Haseltine, a 39-year-old musical instrument technician. Without the tax credit, he said: 'That's just plain too much.' Michigan-based Slate has raised $700m (R12.49bn) from investors, including founder Jeff Bezos, and has racked up more than 100,000 reservations for its cars. But the company is launching into a tough US market. A few years ago hopeful entrepreneurs were looking to cash in on the global transition to electric cars. But US electric vehicle (EV) sales growth has cooled as consumer interest has faded. The loss of federal tax breaks will further hurt demand, car executives and analysts predict. Like other EV start-ups, Slate probably faces a long road to profitability. The EV business has proven to be a money loser for most industry players, partly because batteries remain relatively expensive. Even in China, where smaller, inexpensive EVs have proliferated and companies enjoy a cost advantage over Western carmakers, most are unprofitable.

Audi cuts forecast over US tariffs and restructuring costs
Audi cuts forecast over US tariffs and restructuring costs

TimesLIVE

time8 hours ago

  • TimesLIVE

Audi cuts forecast over US tariffs and restructuring costs

German carmaker Volkswagen's premium brand Audi lowered its full-year financial guidance on Monday, citing the impact of higher US import tariffs and ongoing restructuring costs. The Ingolstadt-based company expects revenue of between €65bn (R1,355,406,000,000) and €70bn (R1,459,560,200,000), down from its previous forecast of €67.5bn (R1,407,537,000,000) to €72.5bn (R1,511,687,350,000). Audi also cut its operating margin forecast to 5% to 7%, compared to the earlier range of 7% to 9%. Audi said it is assessing the implications of the trade deal reached between the US and the EU on Sunday. The agreement set a 15% baseline US tariff on imports from the EU, including cars, which had previously faced customs duties of 27.5%. "Should the 15% tariff stay in place long-term, it would put Audi at a competitive disadvantage because its key peers have a more pronounced US production footprint," said Fabio Hoelscher, an analyst from Warburg Research. Audi is among the carmakers most exposed to US tariffs as it has no manufacturing facilities in the US. Though the deal provides clarity on the new tariff regime, enabling better operational and strategic planning, the 15% rate represents a structural shift from the 2.5% rate before US President Donald Trump took office, said Pal Skirta, equity analyst from Metzler Equities. That leaves German carmakers facing persistently higher US tariffs on their exports and long-term competitiveness challenges, he said. The Volkswagen Group also cut its full-year guidance on Friday after taking a $1.5bn (R26,781,448,350) tariff hit in the first half of the year. Global carmakers have booked billions of losses and some issued profit warnings due to US import tariffs. The European industry is also facing stiffening competition from China and domestic regulations aimed at speeding up the electric-vehicle transition.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store