Whenever anyone asks about the most legendary onboard lap footage, someone inevitably posts the Ruf CTR Yellowbird on the Nürburgring Nordschleife because it’s simply the right answer. Now the entire video of the laps — all 19 minutes and 21 seconds of it — has been posted to YouTube. Enjoy.
Welcome to Onboard of the Week, a feature where we spend that pesky time between races looking at awesome footage from inside the car.
Why did clips of this film become so famous? For one, it features the Ruf CTR (nicknamed the Yellowbird), a Porsche 911 that’s been tuned by RUF up to 500 hp. It’s of the era where Porsches would snap around on you if you even thought about doing anything wrong, so to say that it’s a bit tail-happy is like saying Formula One tickets are a tad pricey.
The Nürburgring’s north course — the infamous Nordschleife — also suffers no fools. Close walls, blind corners and traffic of varying kinds and skill levels have given the circuit a reputation as the most dangerous track in the world.
Thus, watching madman Stefan Roser slide and drift the powerful Porsche around the Nordschleife is one of the most mesmerizing things to watch. If there’s one clip that epitomizes the phrase “balls of steel,” it’s this one.
Everything from the wail of the aircooled flat-six engine to the scream of the tires at every turn makes this one a classic. That’s better than any music ever produced.
Enjoy the ride.
[H/T Bridge to Gantry via Chris Spendoria]
Have an awesome onboard video to share? Drop me a line at stef.schrader@jalopnik.com or post it in the comments below.