Ferrari’s Testarossa, an Icon of 1980s Style That’s Making a Comeback
Back when a double-breasted blazer with over-stuffed shoulder pads announced a player was in the room, Ferrari’s Testarossa took center stage as the widest, boldest supercar imaginable. In charitable retrospect, the car was an aesthetic triumph in a decade that brought us pop culture kitsch like Patrick Nagel posters, Duran Duran, and the first season of Miami Vice, whose detective duo committed sartorial offenses as egregious as any crimes they solved.
The Testarossa was conceived by Emanuele Nicosia, and developed under Pininfarina design chief Leonardo Fioravanti, with the studio’s Nicosia, Guido Campoli, Diego Ottina, and Ian Cameron all involved in the design. Introduced at the 1984 Paris Auto Show as the successor to the 512 BB (Berlinetta Boxer), the Testarossa carried on through 1991, with 7,177 units built over eight years—an unqualified success for Ferrari’s top model of the day.
This 1991 Ferrari Testarossa sold last year through RM Sotheby’s for $148,400.
Darin Schnabel, courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
The Testarossa was followed by the more refined 512 TR, of which fewer than 2,300 were produced. Finally, the 512 M, distinguished by open headlamps, saw a mere 501 examples made from 1995 to 1996. It was the last of the rear-engined flat-12s, after which the series was replaced by the more conventional V-12-powered 550 Maranello. Altogether, a total of 9,939 examples were built of the Testarossa and 512 model variants, more than any other Ferrari until that time.
The cheese-grater-like side strakes are the signature of Pininfarina’s slab-sided design for the Testarossa, whose name was coined from Ferrari’s original 1957 250 Testa Rossa (Italian for “red head”). That V-12 race car’s bright-red valve covers embellished an otherwise purposeful engine compartment, and the fanciful name and detail were later adopted by the flat-12 Testarossa.
The Testarossa’s 4.9-liter flat-12 engine makes 385 hp.
Darin Schnabel, courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
Although larger than the 512 BB it replaced, the Testarossa is lighter. With a steel roof and doors, and other body panels in aluminum, its aerodynamic design results in a low coefficient of drag with high downforce, while the absence of spoilers gives it a monolithic, sculptural shape that is imposing from every angle. At nearly 6.5 feet, it is six inches wider than the 512 BB in order to accommodate 18-inch-diameter wheels with fat tires, provide more efficient engine cooling, and to increase occupant comfort. And while it is undeniably a sports car, a “two-place GT” might be a more accurate descriptor, as it was never pressed into serious motorsport competition. Which is not the same as saying the Testarossa didn’t perform.
On the center console resides a quaint reminder of the times: a quintet of cassette-tape holders.
Darin Schnabel, courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
The rear-mid-engined power plant is a 4.9-liter, DOHC flat-12 engine that makes 385 hp at 6,300 rpm, and generates 361 ft lbs of torque at 4,500 rpm. The then-impressive 180 mph top end is accompanied by a zero-to-60 mph time of about 5.2 seconds. (Later models—the 512 TR and 512 M—boast even more impressive numbers.) Inside the Bauhaus-clean cockpit, a manual stick shift—topped with a black cue ball on a chrome shaft—clunks through a slotted five-speed gate. Aft of the shift gate, on the center console, resides a quaint reminder of the times: a quintet of tape holders to offer a favorite cassette to suit the mood.
A total of 7,177 examples of the Ferrrari Testarossa were made over its eight-year production run.
Darin Schnabel, courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
Until recently, Testarossas and, to a lesser extent 512 TRs, were 12-cylinder Ferrari bargains. Those days are gone, and yesterday’s Ferrari fashion has made a comeback. A comprehensive (read that, “expensive”) service is a rite of passage for every Testarossa, as they require an engine-out procedure to replace timing belts and other critical-wear components. It is imperative that service records indicate regular maintenance over the life of the car, as surprises can turn a joy ride into destinations unknown.
Appreciation has been constant over the last decade, and today, top-tier Testarossa examples will be well above $150,000, but anywhere from $130,000 to $150,000 will buy a car in good condition with some room for value growth. Get the best affordable example, choose a wide-open road, and let that exquisite Ferrari flat-12 sing into the sunset.
Click here for more photos of this 1991 Ferrari Testarossa.
This 1991 Ferrari Testarossa sold for $148,400 at the 2024 RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction.
Darin Schnabel, courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
Authors
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Robert Ross
