This 1986 Ferrari Testarossa on Bring a Trailer Is Begging for an Epic Road Trip
Ferrari’s iconic 12-cylinder supercar was made for wide-open spaces.
front three quarter view of red coupe with side strakes and tan interior.
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Ferrari recently brought back the Testarossa nameplate, but the new supercar may be destined to live in the shadow of the 1980s version.
The example was just recommissioned and has had a huge list of maintenance items done.
Exotic in looks, a 1980s Testarossa is surprisingly comfortable and accessible to drive.
Ferrari’s decision to bring back the Testarossa name for the replacement of the SF90 Stradale with the 849 Testarossa was not greeted with universal approbation. With more than 1000 prancing stallions on tap, the modern car certainly will have all the performance one could wish for, but it doesn’t at all resemble the car everyone remembers co-starring in Miami Vice.
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Happily, you can just skip the queue for Ferrari’s latest supercar and go for the bedroom-poster hero with this 1986 Ferrari Testarossa up for sale on Bring a Trailer (which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos). It comes complete with the iconic, high-mounted monospecchio single rearview mirror. Best part? Within the last year, it’s received nearly $30K worth of service to recondition it after a long slumber.
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Here’s the secret about the original Testarossa: The looks couldn’t be more exotic, but compared to something like a Lamborghini Countach, it’s far more drivable. It’s still fast by modern standards, and draws eyeballs like few other cars, but it is also surprisingly comfortable for extended tours behind the wheel. C/D editor emeritus John Phillips drove one cross-country in 1992 and remained completely smitten with it.
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This example should probably stay parked once road crews start salting the tarmac, but until then, it’s a childhood fantasy that demands to be driven. As per usual in a 1980s Ferrari, the air-conditioning doesn’t work, but you’ve got windows that open and a flat-12 soundtrack. Who needs A/C? Or a radio?
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That boxer-twelve displaces 4.9 liters and was rated at 380 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque when new. The power isn’t peaky like a revvy mid-engined V-8, but comes on with authority when stirred up. The click-clack of the exposed metal shifter gate is, of course, all part of the theater.
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The large service bill included a full, engine-out service, with replacement of the timing belt, fluids, fuel lines, various hoses, and on and on. The invoice is as long as an Umberto Eco novel, and it’s nice to have all that work tidied away.
Ready for autumn roads, then a long sleep over winter with dreams of a springtime Sunday ahead, this car is why Ferrari’s latest supercar might get a relatively tepid reception. The new one may be blindingly fast, at the knife-edge of road-going tech, and very exclusive. But when most people hear “Testarossa,” this is the car that pops to mind.
The auction ends on October 16.
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Brendan McAleer
Contributing Editor
Brendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels.
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