The one-off RUF Project Dragon will be offered without reserve at Gooding Christie’s Retromobile New York auction. The sale is scheduled for 20 and 21 November 2026 at the Javits Center in New York. Gooding Christie’s estimates the car at $6 million to $8 million, but that figure is an auction estimate rather than a guaranteed result.
Project Dragon is a modern interpretation of the RUF CTR2 Sport. It is not a restoration of an existing CTR2 and it is not a series-production replica. RUF built the car around the final unused W09 body-in-white retained from the CTR2 era. The project came from a collector’s personal commission, developed with Alois Ruf and the RUF team. Tony Hatter, whose work is associated with the Porsche 993 generation, helped shape the design.
A factory-built personal commission
Gooding Christie’s describes Project Dragon as a factory-built RUF commission. That distinction matters because RUF is a family-owned German car manufacturer based in Pfaffenhausen, not simply an independent tuning shop. RUF says it produces high-performance cars and components in-house and has been part of the automotive industry for more than 80 years.
The starting point was a W09 body left unused after the CTR2 period. Instead of treating it as a museum component or fitting a conventional conversion package, RUF used it as the basis for a single customer’s long-term idea. Factory documentation covers the design, bodywork, engine, suspension, brakes, wheels and interior.
Tony Hatter’s involvement helped preserve a visual link with the CTR2 Sport and the wider RUF design language of the 1990s. Project Dragon does not simply reproduce an old car. It uses the earlier model’s identity as a starting point and combines it with contemporary manufacturing and engineering work.
A 621-hp air-cooled flat-six
Project Dragon uses a bespoke air-cooled flat-six. Gooding Christie’s lists output at 621 hp at 6,500 rpm, equivalent to roughly 463 kW. The press release does not provide an official 0–100 km/h time or a verified top speed for this individual car.
The engine matters for more than its output. Air cooling connects the project to the mechanical character of historic RUF cars and to the company’s earlier Porsche-based work. CTR2 Sport cars used a different historical specification, so the technical data of those cars should not be assigned automatically to Project Dragon.
Gooding Christie’s calls the engine bespoke, but the published release does not list displacement, maximum torque, transmission or driven wheels. Those details may be added to the complete catalogue before the auction. Until then, the 621-hp figure is the clearest confirmed engine data.
Carbon bodywork and track-focused equipment
The body is finished in a one-off colour called Dragon Fire Orange and uses bespoke carbon-fibre bodywork. RUF integrated a roll cage into the chassis. The car also has carbon-ceramic brakes, Bilstein PSS10 suspension and centre-lock wheels designed and produced for this project by OZ Racing.
Each component serves a different purpose. Carbon fibre can reduce body mass, the roll cage adds structural support and occupant protection, carbon-ceramic brakes are suited to repeated high-temperature use, and adjustable dampers allow the chassis response to be changed for different conditions.
Project Dragon is not presented as a car homologated for a specific racing category. Its equipment points to circuit capability, but the available information does not confirm an FIA specification or a competition programme. It is being offered as a collector car rather than as a standardised customer-racing product.
Only about 1,220 kilometres recorded
The car was delivered in March 2024 and had covered 759 miles when catalogued, or approximately 1,220 kilometres. Gooding Christie’s says it presents in virtually new condition. Low mileage is relevant to a collector because Project Dragon is a one-off build with factory documentation and a clearly recorded commission history.
Mileage is not the only factor behind the estimate. Provenance, the identity of the builder, the technical specification and the fact that the exact project cannot be recreated all affect the car’s position in the market. Project Dragon has one original commissioning story and a direct connection to Alois Ruf and the RUF factory team.
The consignor’s name has not been released. Gooding Christie’s says only that the vehicle was commissioned by one of the marque’s significant collectors and developed around a vision maintained over several decades.
New York display and auction terms
Before the auction, the car was scheduled for public display at Christie’s Rockefeller Center from 8 to 12 October 2026. It will then be offered at Retromobile New York on 20 and 21 November.
Selling without reserve means there is no undisclosed minimum price at which the car can be withdrawn. The $6–8 million figure is Gooding Christie’s estimate, not a promised sale price. The final result will depend on bidders, market conditions and the level of interest in the room or online.
Project Dragon could become one of the most expensive RUF cars sold at auction, but that remains a possibility until the hammer falls. Gooding Christie’s has achieved RUF auction records in the past, yet this car has no result to report before the New York sale.
From the Yellowbird to Project Dragon
RUF’s reputation is closely linked to the CTR “Yellowbird” and the CTR2. RUF’s own history notes that the first CTR became known after a 1987 test at Ehra-Lessien, where it reached 339.8 km/h in a test organised by Road & Track.
Project Dragon is not a production CTR2 Sport from 1998 and it is not a new CTR2 series. It is a single commission built around a preserved W09 body and developed with modern methods. The historical connection is central to the story, but the difference between a limited production model and a bespoke one-off should remain clear.
The confirmed facts are specific: Project Dragon is unique, uses a 621-hp air-cooled engine, carbon bodywork, carbon-ceramic brakes and Bilstein PSS10 suspension, and had 759 miles when catalogued. It will be offered without reserve in New York with a $6–8 million estimate. The final price and buyer remain unknown.
