Start with what the Ferrari Testarossa is: a 2-door berlinetta with 4.9 L Tipo F113 flat-12, built from 1984 to 1996, in the age of turbocharging and the first electronic engine management. What it meant takes a little longer. The shape is credited to Diego Ottina, Leonardo Fioravanti, Ian Cameron, Guido Campoli, Emanuele Nicosia at Pininfarina (Testarossa) / Pietro Camardella at Pininfarina (512 TR).
Where it came from
The Ferrari Testarossa (Type F110) is a 12-cylinder mid-engine sports car manufactured by Ferrari, which went into production in 1984 as the successor to the Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer. The Pininfarina-designed car was originally produced from 1984 until 1991, with two model revisions following the end of Testarossa production called the 512 TR and F512 M, which were produced from 1992 until 1996. Including revised variations, almost 10,000 cars in total were produced, making it at the time one of the most mass-produced Ferrari models. The Testarossa is a two-door coupé that premiered at the 1984 Paris Auto Show. All versions of the Testarossa were available with a rear-mounted, five-speed manual transmission.
The rear mid-engine design (engine between the axles but behind the cabin) keeps the centre of gravity in the middle of the car, which increases stability and improves the car's cornering ability, and thus results in a standing weight distribution of 40% front: 60% rear. The original Testarossa was re-engineered for the 1992 model year and was introduced as the 512 TR (TR meaning TestaRossa), at the Los Angeles Auto Show, effectively as a completely new car, and an improved weight distribution of 41% front, 59% rear. Another new variant called the F512 M was introduced at the 1994 Paris Auto Show. The car dropped the TR initials and added the M which in Italian stood for modificata, or translated to modified, and was the final version of the Testarossa, which continued its predecessor's weight distribution improvement of 42% front, 58% rear. The F512 M was Ferrari's las
Under the skin
The engine is 4.9 L Tipo F113 flat-12. Drive goes through a 5-speed manual. The layout matters: the engine sits behind the driver and ahead of the rear axle, which puts the mass in the middle of the car and is why mid-engined cars change direction the way they do. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
In context
In the Ferrari line-up the Ferrari Testarossa has a clear place: it replaced the Ferrari 512 BBi; it handed the line to the Ferrari 550 Maranello; the factory was Maranello, Italy. The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the Renault Espace, the Toyota MR2, the SEAT Ibiza. Nearby in the Ferrari catalogue sit the 250 GTE and the 328 GTS.
Owning one today
MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the Ferrari Testarossa has none: too old, too rare, or never sold there. Its value today is a collector's question, decided by provenance and condition rather than by a class average.