It's damn well safe to say that the Ferrari Testarossa was the most iconic car of the 1980s. (Sorry, DeLorean, but you're only relevant today because you helped Alex P. Keaton visit the Fifties.) Indeed, the Ferrari is so iconic, it rivals Michael Jordan and Tom Selleck's mustache as the decade's defining image.
Traditionally, the Testarossa hasn't been a huge favorite of Ferrari aficionados, packing far more cultural resonance than enduring credibility as a driver's car. But culture from that era is having a massive effect on the classic car market — and the way buyers look at the Testarossa could be about to change.
Helping with that shift: Swiss company Officine Fioravanti is giving the Ferrari Testarossa an exquisite, better-than-new, but still faithful to the original concept restomod treatment, similar to the one Singer Vehicle Design gives to 964-generation Porsche 911s. And it sounds absolutely incredible.
Officine Fioravanti's build will keep the Testarossa's stunning exterior and air intakes largely intact. As the company told Autocar, there's "no reason to teach a maestro one more lesson." The Testarossa will use a modified version of Ferrari's 4.9-liter flat-12 engine that enables it to hit 200 mph instead of the original 180 mph and, one presumes, best the not-so-blistering 5.2-second acceleration from 0-60 mph.
The restomod will improve the Testarossa's handling dramatically, adding features like anti-lock brakes, traction control, Brembo brakes, Öhlins electronic dampers, adjustable anti-roll bars and Michelin racing tires. The Testarossa will also get a new titanium exhaust and replace original plastic components with aluminum ones. Modifications will reduce the Testarossa's weight by about 265 pounds. Inside, there's a Gordon Gekko-spec car phone that ties into the car via Bluetooth — or, if you prefer, a modern infotainment system with Apple CarPlay.
There's no word yet on the price, or when this revamped Testarossa will be available — but we'd expect those answers to be "eye-poppingly expensive" and "in the relatively near future," respectively.
