This 1,040-mile Ruf CTR Yellowbird just sold for over $6 million

This is the 26th of 29 Ruf CTR Yellowbirds ever built, and it just sold at Gooding & Company's Amelia Island auction for a little over $6m (or £4.6m). Why so much, you ask? Partly because its odometer reads just 1,040 miles, likely making it the lowest mileage CTR in existence. And also partly because... it's a Ruf. Rufs are very, very cool.

This example has also been looked after as meticulously as Real Madrid does the Santiago Bernabéu's grass. Its first owner kept it in a climate-controlled facility, while the second and most recent keeper made sure to regularly get the engine up to operational temperature to keep it in running order. 

Now, about the car itself. Based on the 911 Carrera 3.2, Ruf began the conversion by replacing the original steel doors, bonnet and engine cover with aluminium panels to shed 180kg. It then bolted on new bumpers, more aero-friendly mirrors and (considerably) thickened the rear wheel arches. But the real magic lies beneath all this retro flavour. 

The 3.4-litre air-cooled flat-six is boosted by a pair of turbos and a Bosch fuel injection system developed for the Porsche 962. You know, that triple Le Mans winning car. Ruf also created its own six-speed manual transmission since, at the time, the standard car was still only being offered with a four-speed. 

Chassis 26 also has the Leichtbau (lightweight) pack option selected, which means more aluminium in the bodywork, a leather-wrapped roll cage and Recaro bucket seats with harnesses. You do still get a radio at least.

The result of all this focused thinking is clear: the Yellowbird produces 463bhp and 408lb ft, and since it weighs just 1,134kg, it’ll get to 62mph in under four seconds. The most impressive stat is its top speed of 211, which made it - for a time - the fastest car in the world. Fairly handy around the Nürburgring, too.

Whether or not the new owner - only the third in this CTR's life - fancies a crack at the 'Ring remains to be seen, but boss Alois Ruf is fairly happy with its status. "The cultural impact of the Yellowbird could not be overstated, and we are so proud of its lasting influence that struck in awe an entire generation of enthusiasts and reinvented the benchmark for a modern performance supercar," he said. Can't argue with that.