The Ferrari Testarossa Returns After 30 Years With 1,036 Horses

Ferrari has built more memorable cars over the past three-quarters of a century than many other automakers combined, but one has always stood tall among them.The 1984 Testarossa was a dramatic styling departure for the brand. Its sloped nose, wide fenders and signature side intake strakes made it look like nothing Ferrari or any automaker had built before.It was an instant poster car, and its status as an icon of the era was cemented when it became Sonny Crockett’s ride on “Miami Vice” in 1986.The two-seat model has an interior design that creates a cockpit for the driver. FerrariTestarossa is Italian for “redhead,” a name it borrowed from Ferrari’s 1957 250 Testa Rossa racing car. The reference was not anatomical, but mechanical. It described the color of the head covers on their V12 engines. Ferrari sold Testarossas until 1991, when the name was put on the shelf, but it has now dusted it off for a very modern new model.The 2026 849 Testarossa that made its debut in Milan is Ferrari’s new top regular production car. Instead of a V12, it features an all-wheel-drive plug-in hybrid powertrain comprised of electric motors and a turbocharged V8, which indeed has red head covers. The combined output is 1,050 cavallo vapore — Italian for “horse steam” — which is equivalent to 1,036 horsepower. The number in the name is a traditional Ferrari convention based on the eight cylinders and the 499 cubic-centimeter volume of each.The styling is entirely unlike that of its predecessors. Rather, it draws inspiration from Ferrari racing cars of the 1970s with a pronounced chin splitter in front and dual fender-top wings in the rear. Instead of the 1984 edition’s pop-up headlights, its headlights are hidden within a black bar that stretches across the hood, while the side strakes have been replaced with vertical black intake scoops.The mid-mounted V8 engine is visible through a transparent cover. FerrariThe engine is mounted amidship behind the cabin and is visible through a clear cover. Ferrari is offering the two-seater in both coupe and convertible “Spider” bodystyles. The interior features a dashboard that wraps around the driver to create a cockpit effect, while the passenger is provided with a digital screen that can display the speed, which tops out at more than 205 mph.Ferrari hasn’t sold cars with manual transmissions since 2012, but the gear selector for the 849 Testrossa’s eight-speed automatic is designed to appear as an old-fashioned gated shifter. It also uses a brake-by-wire system with a pedal that has been engineered to feel like the real thing underfoot.Press it at 60 mph and the car will come to a stop in less than 94 feet. Switch to the accelerator and it will sprint back to 60 mph in less than 2.3 seconds and hit 124 mph in 6.3 seconds.The 1984 Testarossa is one of Ferrari’s most famous models. FerrariThe 849 Testarossa is the third-fastest production car to ever lap Ferrari’s private Fiorano test track, and it screams through an exhaust system constructed from the same Inconel alloy used for rocket engines. However, it is also capable of cruising silently in all-electric mode for up to 16 miles, and its engine uses recycled aluminum to further improve its environmental credentials.U.S. pricing has not yet been announced, the 849 Testarossa starts at approximately $540,000 for the coupe and $585,000 for the Spider in Europe. Myriad options, including dozens of paint and upholstery colors and a selection of five seat designs, are available.Buyers can also pick the design of the wheels and the color of the brake calipers. The engine heads? They still only come in red.

The Ferrari Testarossa Returns After 30 Years With 1,036 Horses

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