The Ferrari 849 Testarossa and its predecessors
09/18/2025
Ferrari has just launched a new sports car as the successor to the SF90. Of course, it can do everything better than its predecessor, now has 1050 hp and even more sophisticated aerodynamics. It should sound better and drive faster and, thanks to three electric motors and plug-in hybrid technology, also be safer and more environmentally friendly.
For us traditionalists, however, it is probably even more important that Ferrari wants to return to its past with the 849 Testarossa. The number in the type designation refers (almost) as before to the eight-cylinder engine and the displacement per cylinder (approx. 498 cm3), the additional designation refers to the red-colored cylinder heads, even if they can only be seen far down in the engine compartment.
Red cylinder heads first appeared on the Ferrari 500 TR (TR stands for Testa Rossa) in the 1950s, ...
... later also on other models such as the 250 Testarossa from 1958 ...
... up to the Testarossa of the eighties.
Styling elements at the rear reference the 512 S and 512 M sports prototypes of the late sixties and early seventies.
Is all this important to today's Ferrari buyer? Probably more important when buying is whether you can spare the half million EUR/CHF and can cope with a vehicle width of 2304 mm ...
