Testarossa – a name to excite the car enthusiast, as much today as when the car was first launched back in 1984. The name derives from the successful 500 and 250 Testa Rossa series of sports racing cars from the late fifties.

Equipped with an evolution of the 12-cylinder 'flat' engine (it's not a boxer), but with four valves per cylinder, it was the most powerful engine mounted on a production sports car at the time of its launch.

The name Testa Rossa is Italian for red head and refers to the colour that the cam covers were painted on those sports racing cars, so naturally the Testarossa has them too.

The car debuted in the glittering surroundings of the Lido nightclub on the Champs Elysees in Paris, on the eve of the 1984 Paris Salon. The world’s top press and specially invited guests were treated to a gala preview prior to the car’s public launch the following day.

Designed by Pininfarina as a replacement for the Boxer series, the design was visually radically different from its predecessor, although the flat twelve engine was still mid-mounted.

Gone was the sharp-nosed wedge profile, to be replaced by a much softer rounded front end. The front wings flowed into one of the model’s most distinctive styling features, the deeply straked door panels that grew in width towards their trailing edge, before blending into very wide rear wings.

The reason for the greater rear girth and the louvres was the twin mounted water radiators which received their cooling air via the door intakes.

The repositioning provided the benefit of additional luggage space in the nose, usable space being something that had been a notable shortcoming of the Boxer series.

The Testarossa was now a car to take on a touring holiday, where the scintillating performance could really be enjoyed at length.

The Ferrari’s most famous rival was the Lamborghini Countach, and both offered the ultimate in thrills behind the wheel. However, the Testarossa comfortably outsold its Sant’Agata rival, the pull of the prancing horse outshining that of the raging bull!

1987 Ferrari Testarossa

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