OK, so I'm no motoring journalist or car reviewer, however I get the chance to drive a few cars as part of being a car photographer, its part of the joy of what I do. Having driven a few 911's, from classics, through to a few modern performance versions, I get a feel for them. Plus I'm a little bit partial to them, regardless of spec, engine or drive variant. What I like about them is that they are a true everyday sports car. You can pop to the shop to get a pint of milk, or head off along the autobahn for a cross continental blast. Anyway, this week I photographed this special one. Which is also quite rare. It's a RUF 930 BTR Turbo. Only 30 factory builds were made, plus a handful of owners had conversations.

RUF 930 BTR Porsche 911 Turbo — RUF 930 BTR

The engine is something quite special, inspired by Group B rally cars of the time, the size was increased from 3.3 to 3.4 litres, a larger turbo was added, plus a load of other details, which I don't really understand. The resulting output was close to 400bhp, some being increased to 495bhp. With torque to match. For reference, the standard 911 Turbo had 300bhp.

What really struck me with the RUF, is that you have to be an (highly) experienced driver to get the most out of it. Unfortunately, that’s something I'm definitely not. This car was particularly well maintained, great brakes, steering, suspension, giving me confidence in the car.

Having the bigger turbo, increases the lag, or the time its takes for the turbo to spool up. Up to 3,500 rpm, nothing much happens, it feels relatively fast, but that’s about it. Push a little further, and you feel a stirring, then at 3,800-4,000, all hell breaks loose. Its manic. Proper manic. And then gets a little bit more manicer, (yes, I've made that word up just for this car). Push through to 4,600rpm, and change to second. Damn, its dropped below 3,500rpm, I've got to wait for it to spool up again. The manicness returns, only for me to bail out at the national speed limit. If I'd done it properly, it would have taken about 4.5 seconds. I reckon it needs changing up at nearly 6,000 rpm to keep it in the sweet spot. I never found out, but the RUF would happily go onto 185mph given the right driver.

All this in a car built in 1987, no drivers aids, rear wheel drive and 1300kgs. the standard 911 Turbo was nicknamed the widow maker. This one is rather special, if a little daunting.

Would I daily it? Yes, I would. its such a amazing package, the looks, the sound of an air-cooled flat six, matched to a proper exhaust, which pops and crackles delightfully. Why would you not? However, I would irritate myself every time I drove it as I couldn't get close to its potential.

RUF 930 BTR

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