Testarossa

Ferrari revived the Testarossa name for a new road car at the 1984 Paris Motor Show, where it replaced the 512 BBi as the marque’s flagship mid-engined berlinetta. The name itself had deep Ferrari roots, echoing the red cam covers of earlier racing cars, but the 1984 car made it famous for a new generation of buyers. Its Pininfarina body, especially the dramatic side strakes, became one of the defining automotive designs of the 1980s and helped make the car an icon well beyond Ferrari circles. The original road-car Testarossa ran through the end of the 1991 model year, after which Ferrari evolved the platform into the 512 TR and later the F512 M under new model names. The Testarossa designation returned again in 2025 on Ferrari’s 849 Testarossa, creating a separate later production period for the same historic nameplate rather than an unbroken run. Enthusiasts remember the Testarossa as one of Ferrari’s most recognizable road cars, closely tied to the brand’s eighties image and to a long line of Testa Rossa-badged Ferrari cars stretching back to the 1950s.