A renowned moniker, Ferrari has revived the Testarossa nameplate for the modern era, with the Prancing Horse brand unveiling the 849 Testarossa.
Ah, the Testarossa — undoubtedly one of the most revered Ferraris to come from the Prancing Horse brand’s stable. Since its introduction in 1984, the Testarossa has established itself in automotive history. Posters of this car has adorned the walls of many (the author of this article included) and, noteworthy, it has found a long-lasting place in pop culture (remember the white Testarossa driven by detective Sonny Crockett — played by Don Johnson — in the 1980s series Miami Vice?).
However, following a production run of 12 years, with around 10 000 examples produced, the Testarossa nameplate was relegated to the annals of history. However, now, nearly three decades later, Ferrari has revived this moniker for the modern era, with the Maranello manufacturer unveiling the 849 Testarossa.
The successor to the SF90, the 849 Testarossa is equipped with a plug-in hybrid powertrain that pairs a 4.0-lite twin-turbocharged V8 internal combustion engine (ICE) with a trio of electric motors. The 459 Testarossa’s ICE churns out 610 kW and 842 N.m of twisting force, and revs to a howling 8 300 r/min. The e-motors add 161 kW to the mix; resulting in a combined peak power output of 772 kW. (The Italian automaker has yet to announce how much torque the 849 Testarossa’s plug-in hybrid setup produces.)
According to Ferrari, these figures allow the (1 570 kg, dry) fixed-roof variant to complete the obligatory 0-100 km/h sprint in “less than” 2.3 seconds, before breaching the 200 km/h marker 4.05 seconds later, at 6.35 seconds. The drop-top (Spider) model, which tips the scales at a claimed 1 660 kg (dry), dispatches the 0-100 km/h dash in the same time, the firm claims, but arrives at the 200 km/h marker slightly later, at 6.5 seconds. The top speed of both models is rated at “over” 330 km/h.
The 849 Testarossa is equipped with a 7.45 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which provides a claimed driving range of 25 km on battery power alone.