Ferrari Automobile F512M Benutzerhandbuch

Below: The F512 M had a redesigned rear with round lights and no grille covering them. Opposite page: The Testarossa (top) had
a more square front end and lights compared to the newer 512 TR (middle) whereas the F512 M (bottom) was completely different
and did not have the pop-up lights of the earlier models.

Ferrari Buyer ’s Guides by Ferrari Life

Ferrari Life

Model Introduction

The Testarossa was Fer-

rari’s bold statement in an era

where overstatement was cel-

ebrated. The brief for the Tes-

tarossa was heavily focused on

addressing the perceived short

comings of the understated 512

series Boxers. The Testarossa

would need to be able to meet

emission and safety standards

in all key world markets, carry

two passengers in comfort, in-

clude enough luggage room for

a multi-day trip, and deliver the

expected Ferrari performance

without requiring the owner to

have the driving skills of Nicky

Lauda. It also needed to be

able to stop pedestrians in there

tracks and make heads swivel.

At the Paris Motor Show

in October 1984, the brief was

delivered upon with the intro-

duction of the Testarossa to the

world. Pininfarina, for the ﬁrst

time both designed and built the

body. The reaction to the new

car was anything but muted and

it broke new design ground with

its overstated aggressive lines.

This was the car that would

adorn millions of boy’s bedroom

walls for the next decade. In

1985 it was the fastest road car

on the planet and the ﬁrst to be

cylinder engine. This was the

second product from Marranel-

lo to carry the Testarossa name,

the ﬁrst being the 250 Testa Ros-

sa race cars from the ‘50s. The

name came from the color of the

valve covers, usually black but

in these two cases, red paint was

used instead.

In many ways the Testa-

rossa design was a direct result

of addressing weaknesses of

the 512 Boxers. The signature

“cheese grater” side strakes run-

ning along the doors into the rear

engine compartment actually

covered the huge scoops needed

to funnel air into the rear mount-

ed radiators. On the 365 GT4

BB & 512 BB, the radiators were

front mounted which resulted

in the water pipes running un-

der the passenger cabin to reach

the mid mounted engine. In the