Vehicle Description
Vehicle to be offered for Auction sale January 19th - 22nd, 2017 at Russo and Steele's 17th Annual Scottsdale Arizona Auction at the Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Please contact us for more information.
It is truly difficult to overstate the impact made by the Ferrari Testarossa at its October 1984 Paris debut. A bold statement in every respect, from its name recalling Modena's all-conquering 250 Testa Rossa Red Head sports racers of the late 1950s to its instantly iconic Pininfarina styling replete with swooping strakes along it flanks channelling airflow into massive radiators at the rear fenders, the Testarossa was an instant icon. Then again, only the Testarossa could possibly succeed the Berlinetta Boxer, another legendary Ferrari/Pininfarina design collaboration introduced in 1973.
While often compared to Lamborghini's various Countach models of the era, the Testarossa was in fact a much newer and more advanced basic design throughout. In addition to its muscular bodywork that declared its purity of purpose, Ferrari's newest 12-cylinder 'Supercar' generated strong praise for its remarkable drivability and startling level of passenger comfort. In fact, a recent classic-car buyer's guide published by the editors of Octane magazine aptly described the Testarossa as ... a remarkably user-friendly supercar, one capable of ...mighty performance delivered in a smooth manner by a sweet and free-revving flat-12.
Sired directly from Ferrari's 312 T Grand Prix racing-engine design dating back to 1975, the Testarossa's mid-mounted 4.9-liter engine featured Bosch K-Jetronic electronic fuel injection and four valves per cylinder, delivering 390 brake horsepower and rendering the Testarossa the world's most powerful sports car at introduction. While demanding surprisingly few compromises from its occupants, the Testarossa continues to deliver blistering performance - even by today's standards - with acceleration from rest to 60 mph in just over 5.0 seconds, the -mile in a blistering 12.9 seconds, and a heady top end nearing 180 mph. In fact, the Testarossa reigned as the world's fastest production car throughout its 11-year production run ending in 1995.
The Testarossa's handling is equally brilliant, with skidpad performance tested at 0.90 G lateral acceleration. Based upon a race-bred and rigid tubular frame with fully independent suspension including front and rear anti-roll bars, the Testarossa's rear subframe was removable, easing the burden of regular maintenance and servicing. Underpinnings included precise rack-and-pinion steering gear and a set of large four-wheel ventilated disc brakes. Blessed with truly great road feel and Ferrari's classic gated shift lever controlling the 5-speed manual gearbox, the Testarossa seamlessly blends the classic and modern Ferrari generations and continues to deliver an exceptional drive. Of course, no discussion of the Testarossa is complete without mention of a certain white Ferrari's prominent - or more correctly starring - role chasing down the bad guys with Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas in the hugely successful TV series, Miami Vice.
Highly desirable in its original paint finish over the original interior, this 1991 Ferrari Testarossa is a great example with only 18,000 kilometers of use. A clean Carfax vehicle history report is included with the sale of this important and iconic modern-era V-12 Ferrari model.
