---
title: "Risk Everything and Buy This Turbocharged, 360-Horsepower Volkswagen Beetle ‘Yellowbird’"
description: "Built as a tribute to the infamous Ruf CTR Yellowbird, this Beetle is the perfect way to go out in a blaze of glory."
date: "2019-08-03"
modified: "2019-08-13"
authors:
  - name: "James Gilboy"
    job_title: "Contributing Writer"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/james-gilboy"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/29256/risk-everything-and-buy-this-turbocharged-360-horsepower-volkswagen-beetle-yellowbird"
categories:
  - "Culture"
  - "For Sale"
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
  - "Volkswagen News"
tags:
  - "Volkswagen"
---

# Risk Everything and Buy This Turbocharged, 360-Horsepower Volkswagen Beetle ‘Yellowbird’

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2019/08/566143.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

**​**You couldn't be blamed for thinking that the [Ruf CTR "Yellowbird"](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/807/yellowbird-the-extended-cut-of-rufs-ctr-n-rburgring-video>) is the easiest way to shorten your life courtesy of automotive madness. The Porsche 911 on which it was based was already known for being something of a handful, and turbocharging the bejeezus out of one didn't make it any easier to drive. Its driving experience is not one we 99-percenters are ever likely to taste, as examples of the Yellowbird tend to [sell for more than a million dollars](<https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/MO18/Monterey/lots/r0159-1989-ruf-ctr-yellow-bird/701656>), but fear for one's life while driving isn't an emotion you need to be a millionaire to cultivate. Terror behind the wheel can be had for much, much cheaper.

![message-editor%2F1564771809309-566145.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content-b/message-editor/1564771809309-566145.jpg>)
**Race Cars Direct**

And by cheaper, we mean in the form of a Volkswagen Beetle. One [Race Cars Direct](<https://racecarsdirect.com/Advert/Details/103352/beetle-ruf-yellowbird-hommage-turbo-like-new>) seller built a Bug which they call an homage to the Yellowbird, and as any half-decent tribute does, this salute thereto goes beyond just a coat of paint and a set of real Ruf wheels. Rather than one of the anemic flat-fours that originally powered this Type 1 Beetle, the seller tells us that they crammed in the engine from a four-cylinder Porsche 914, not to mention a pretty big turbocharger along with it.

![message-editor%2F1564772440433-566147.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content-b/message-editor/1564772440433-566147.jpg>)
**Race Cars Direct**

They claim to have "invested" €120,000 ($133,000) into this power plant to make it produce 360 horsepower, which probably won't impress you until you consider the fact that a stock Type 1 weighs less than a ton, and that this car likely ways little if any more. In all likelihood, it has a power-to-weight ratio of approximately 350 horsepower per ton, putting it in the neighborhood of cars like the [Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/29243/dodge-challenger-hellcat-pickup-trucks-top-americas-list-of-vehicles-most-likely-to-be-stolen>).

![message-editor%2F1564773241225-566146.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content-b/message-editor/1564773241225-566146.jpg>)
**Race Cars Direct**

Unlike the Hellcat, though, there's not much of an argument to be made for this car being a performance bargain; its seller asks €79,000 (over $87,000) for the car. With that kind of money, you could either pick up a [discounted Hellcat Redeye for almost $8,000 off sticker](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/29238/dodge-will-give-you-a-10-discount-per-horsepower-to-buy-a-challenger-charger-or-durango>) and have $25,000 left over to spend on tires, or make your down payment on a [2019 Ruf GT](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/26821/2019-ruf-gt-the-juiced-up-515-hp-porsche-911-carrera-gts-you-really-want>).

But don't let us tell you what to do. If you’d rather end up in a ditch without the protection of modern safety, then that’s your call.

![message-editor%2F1564773955430-566144.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content-b/message-editor/1564773955430-566144.jpg>)
**Race Cars Direct**

## Author
James is a former staff writer for The Drive. He has changed the conversation around electrification, debunked misinformation online, and become a prominent hunter of what he calls "automotive cryptids."

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://instagram.com/jamesgilboy>)