Background
The name ‘Testa Rossa’ (two words), meaning ‘red head’ because of the colour of the cam covers, was first given to a competition Ferrari, the high-revving four-cylinder 2-litre 500 TR, in 1956.
Although only 17 were ever built, they competed on international circuits with a good deal of success.
In 1957, Enzo squeezed the firm’s 3-litre V12 masterpiece into the next iteration to bear the ‘red head’ sobriquet, the Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, or 250 TR.
That car’s success was a true game-changer for the marque’s sporting credentials.
It won Le Mans in 1958, 1960 and 1961, Sebring in 1958, 1959 and 1961, the Targa Florio in 1958, the Pescara 4 Hours in 1961, and the 1000 km Buenos Aires in 1958 and 1960.
Not satisfied with those garlands and accolades, it went on to win World Sports Car Championship constructor’s titles for Maranello in 1958, 1960 and 1961.
The Testarossa – one word, not two – was introduced in 1984 and went through various iterations before the last of nearly 10,000 cars rolled off the production line in 1991.
It was a bold and striking design departure from its predecessor, the
512BB, and its mid-mounted 5.0-litre, flat-12 engine now boasted a maximum power output of 390bhp at 6,300rpm courtesy of four-valve cylinder heads.
Despite the power increase, smoothness and driveability were enhanced, the car possessing excellent top gear flexibility allied to a maximum speed of 180mph.
Thanks to its signature gill slats, designed to feed air to the car’s side-mounted radiators, the Testarossa successfully avoided the tendency of the 512BB to become hotter than a masochist’s sauna.
Rivalling Lamborghini's Countach for sheer, in-your-face presence, the Pininfarina-designed Testarossa was an instant hit with critics and the public alike.
A larger car than the 512BB - the increase in width being necessary to accommodate wider tyres - the Testarossa managed the trick of combining high downforce with a low coefficient of drag.
Despite the increase in size over the 512BB, the Testarossa was lighter than its predecessor, the body - its steel doors and roof excepted - being, somewhat unusually for a production Ferrari, constructed from aluminium.
Concessions to luxury in the well-equipped cabin included air conditioning, electrically adjustable seats, tilting steering wheel and plentiful leather.
Unlike many of its rivals, the Testarossa possessed light controls and was relatively easy to drive, factors which, allied to its outstanding performance and stunning looks, contributed to an instant and sustained high level of demand.
One of the few criticisms it received was that it was too wide – almost impossible to drive on ‘normal’ roads, some said.
Today, the Testarossa looks positively elfin and waif-like parked next to virtually any modern SUV.
Whether you like the design or not, no-one can deny that it was every bit as successful as Porsche’s 911 (930) Turbo in capturing the loadsamoney zeitgeist and shameless embrace of excess that characterised the 1980s.
Had it been given the chance to wear a silk shirt and a pastel-coloured jacket (sleeves rolled up) with huge shoulder pads, it would have grabbed it.
Which explains why, in 1989, Enzo himself gave Don Johnson a silver Testarossa.
Apparently, the Maranello ‘Don’ was an ardent fan of the Miami Don’s show.
