Ferrari resurrects the Testarossa

The Testarossa is one of Ferrari's icons from the last third of the 20th century. Everyone grew up with this Italian model as a cultural reference in various TV series, video games, and magazine photographs. Now, unexpectedly and in complete secrecy, the Italian brand has decided to revive it to name its new sports car, which will officially be called the 849 Testarossa.

The origin of the word Testarossa dates back to the Ferrari 250 Testarossa model that won the 1957 World Sports Car Championship, and which was named after the color of its camshaft cover, which was painted entirely red. In fact, the word Testarossa means red head, in reference to the color of the engine cover of that champion car, one of the first champion sports cars from the brand founded by Enzo Ferrari, and perhaps one of the models of which he was most proud. So much so that founder Enzo Ferrari himself proposed reviving the word in 1984 to name his sports car with a mid-mounted V12 engine (behind the driver and passenger) that offered 390 hp and accelerated from 0 to 100 in 5.7 seconds and of which he manufactured a total of 7.17.

849 Testarossa, a modern reinterpretation of the myth

The new 849 Testarossa is the model that is to replace the current SF90 Stradale, and to achieve this the Italians have designed an elegant, sporty and different car, evoking classic models of the brand from the seventies and some futuristic details inspired by aeronautics, and interiors that combine the conventional design of a sports car with a very well-resolved combination of digital elements and analogue controls.

Mechanically, it's worth noting that the new 849 Testarossa uses an 850 hp twin-turbo V8 engine paired with a plug-in hybrid system consisting of three electric motors (two on the front wheels and one on the rear axle) that provide a total of 1,050 hp, making it the Ferrari of Ferraris of Ferraris. In fact, the new 849 Testarossa will be the Ferrari with the best power-to-weight ratio in history, with a ratio of just 1.5 kg/hp.

But even though it's a plug-in car, we mustn't lose sight of the fact that the greatest value of Ferraris is their gasoline engine, and this four-liter V8 is a gem with new turbos and an improved cylinder head, intake, and exhaust system, allowing it to become lighter and more powerful than ever. The electrical system is also truly spectacular, and according to Maranello, it's inherited from the hybrid systems used by Scuderia Ferrari in the Formula 1 championship.

This plug-in hybrid Ferrari has an electric range of 25 kilometers thanks to its 7.45 kWh battery pack and debuts new braking recovery systems and driving modes called eDrive, Hybrid, Performance, and Race, depending on the required performance. The result promises to be spectacular thanks to acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in just 2.3 seconds and a top speed of 330 km/h, a spectacular sound, and an aerodynamic body design designed to offer downforce of up to 415 kilos, inspired by the brand's racing models and enabled by the brand's racing models. The suspension system has also been evolved to reduce weight and improve the car's performance, using 265/35 tires at the front and 325/30 at the rear.

But what we still don't know is the price of the new 849 Testarossa, although as everyone can imagine, it will be very high. It will surely exceed the 450,000 euros of the current SF90 Stradale, and will be around half a million euros. The other unknown is the expected price of the convertible or Spider version of the new 849 Testarossa, which in any case would arrive one or two years after the model's final launch, scheduled for mid-2026.