{"id":1867575,"date":"2026-04-06T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1867575"},"modified":"2026-04-06T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T21:00:00","slug":"ferrari-849-testarossa-brilliant-yes-but-does-it-need-a-v12-to-really-sing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1867575","title":{"rendered":"Ferrari 849 Testarossa: brilliant, yes, but does it need a V12 to really sing?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Aesthetics are so subjective that it seems a fool\u2019s errand to address them at length here. However, this is a new Ferrari. And one that adopts the name Testarossa<\/em>. A car that is almost exclusively remembered and revered for the way it looks. Pure excess sculpted from aluminium and fuelled by rampant optimism and strong narcotics. All the wildest parts of 1980s culture in one glorious wedge of side straked madness. To invoke the Testarossa for a new model is a big statement and its styling is clearly going to be scrutinised.<\/p>\n

Which is the problem. Responses to the new 849 Testarossa \u2013 essentially an SF90 replacement priced from \u00a3407,617 \u2013 have ranged from the obvious (\u201cIt doesn\u2019t look like a Testarossa\u201d) to the damning (\u201cPlease bring back Pininfarina\u201d).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I\u2019ve yet to find anybody who is overwhelmingly positive about the design. Usually this could be shrugged off. Ferrari is a whole different beast to pretty much any other car manufacturer, and its soaring profits and customers clamouring just to be considered worthy of an allocation defy normal logic.<\/p>\n

Photography: John Wycherley<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Lately, though, Ferrari\u2019s incredible momentum \u2013 or at least the perception of it \u2013 has slowed. For the first time in living memory, Ferrari residuals are really struggling and the lack of enthusiasm for its hybrids is undeniable. After drip feeding news about its new EV model to the media, the share price dipped again and is down 30 per cent in the past 12 months. Suddenly, each and every new model launch looks critical, and so the lukewarm sentiments around the 849 Testarossa must make for alarming reading. Especially when you consider the tumbling used prices of the outgoing SF90.<\/p>\n

The good news is that from a dynamics standpoint, Ferrari rarely misses. The simply stunning F80 and wildly entertaining 296 Speciale prove beyond doubt that there\u2019s still plenty of magic to go around in Maranello. And you sense a bit of wounded pride regarding the SF90 which, we shouldn\u2019t forget, was its first ever go at a plug-in hybrid with an electrically driven front axle.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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It had its moments, especially when specified with the Assetto Fiorano package, but never felt like a fully resolved, perfectly honed product. The 849 Testarossa sticks to essentially the same formula, but the level of attention to detail in every area and the enhanced understanding of all the tools at its disposal has clearly taken a giant leap forwards.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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So, in the raw… how does it look? Awkward at times, stunningly aggressive at others. I wouldn\u2019t call it an obvious winner but, as with the 12Cilindri, the styling is more convincing when you spend a bit of time in its company. And once Ferrari reveals that the new car\u2019s look is more a tribute to the 512\u00a0S and 512 M prototype racers of 1969 and 1970 than the Testarossa of the 1980s, the twin-tail rear spoiler treatment makes a lot of sense and feels somehow cooler and more authentic.<\/p>\n

Time is tight: there\u2019s biblical rain forecast for the Monteblanco circuit and surrounding roads near Seville. The track is damp, but even so, I\u2019m advised to start with the Manettino in Race (as usual it cycles through Wet, Sport, Race, CT Off and ESC Off), and the e-Manettino in Qualifying mode. This essentially gives you full electrical assist and depletes the 7.45kWh battery in five to six laps of Fiorano or one lap of the \u2019Ring.<\/p>\n

Other modes are eDrive (should you want to experience a FWD electric Ferrari for 15\u201316 miles), Hybrid and Performance, which gives sustained, consistent performance but not quite the wallop of Qualifying.<\/p>\n

First impressions are right on the cusp of overwhelming. The 4.0-litre twin turbocharged V8 is thoroughly overhauled and has a new block, new heads and the biggest turbochargers ever fitted to a Ferrari road car, featuring F80-derived low friction bearings. It also has much improved cooling, lighter camshafts and titanium fixings used throughout, as well as a new fully Inconel exhaust system.<\/p>\n

It produces 819bhp all on its own and revs to 8,300rpm. Supplemented by an electric motor in the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission and two further motors for the front axle that allow true torque vectoring, the total output is 1,036bhp. Enough to propel 1,570kg (dry, with lightweight options fitted) with outrageous ease. The Testarossa is searingly, relentlessly fast.<\/p>\n

The gearbox adds to the frenzied feel. It\u2019s fantastic, with more than a hint of the sheer aggression and racecar punch of the F80\u2019s shift and the tight, instant, almost breathless response brings some real physicality to the experience. Yes, we all love a great manual gearbox, but the Testarossa\u2019s dual clutch system is a reminder that a scintillating paddleshift can bring its own thrills and rewards. Nobody does it better.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Corner by corner the Testarossa\u2019s character emerges and its stature grows. The track cars feature the Assetto Fiorano package, reducing weight by 30kg, ramping up the aero to produce 415kg of downforce at 155mph and including the fitment of fixed rate Multimatic spool valve dampers.<\/p>\n

These now feature 35 per cent lighter springs and increase roll stiffness by 10 per cent. It costs \u00a342,115 but, on this evidence, it\u2019s pretty compelling. Interestingly, and for the first time,\u00a0you can combine the hardcore Fiorano option package with the standard magnetic dampers including noselift. I suspect this will be the de facto choice.<\/p>\n

Anyway, right here and now the Testarossa feels devastatingly fast, extremely well balanced, and has phenomenal braking performance. Most of the slightly inconsistent behaviour of the SF90\u2019s front axle is gone and when driven quickly and smoothly the 849 displays a supremely controlled and transparent poise. The steering is fast, as you\u2019d expect of a Ferrari, but as the engine is mounted incredibly low in the chassis, the front and rear ends of the car are perfectly in tune. It\u2019s wickedly precise and with all that power on tap it\u2019s easy to exit each turn with just a hint of oversteer.<\/p>\n

Race mode is perhaps a shade too restrictive for track driving, but in CT Off, the Testarossa feels malleable but reassuring. You can play with the balance, tweak the tail, yet still feel subtle interventions to stop the angles from slipping out of control. Go full ESC Off and there are no nasty traits being hidden. Just more excitement. The Testarossa wants to execute neat, fast, precise oversteer, it\u2019s not a tyres-on-fire drift car. Fair enough. It\u2019s still a phenomenal experience on a racetrack. I like this thing. A lot.<\/p>\n

The cars assigned to road driving look slightly tamer without the Assetto Fiorano package, but I\u2019m fascinated to see if the tactile, fluid character is preserved at more realistic speeds. And the early signs are good. The Testarossa doesn\u2019t quite glide on MagneRide dampers but it does feel very calm and the aluminium structure is perhaps a shade quieter than rivals with carbon tubs.<\/p>\n

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\"Stress<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

It feels like you sit higher in the Testarossa than something like a McLaren 750S or Lamborghini Revuelto, though. Not quite so ensconced in the chassis, and so the low speed theatre is slightly diminished. I do love the simple minimalism of the interior. The \u2018gated\u2019 gear selector mimicking the manuals of old is slightly cheesy, but it floats at the perfect height next to you and there\u2019s a kind of restrained yet inventive feel to the whole cockpit. Although luggage space is still pretty terrible.<\/p>\n

Once the road starts to climb and navigate the natural shapes of the landscape, the 849 demonstrates the same qualities on display at the Monteblanco circuit.<\/p>\n

Now on Pirelli P Zero R tyres (the track cars used extreme Cup 2R rubber), traction is simply superb and the car has a level of tactile feedback that was missing in the SF90 Stradale. Even when the rain comes, the car\u2019s incredible sense of control provides all the confidence you could ever need.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s enough progression to every control to meter out the appropriate performance with accuracy and still feel like you\u2019re experiencing the high quality dynamics. Even the crossover point between regen and friction braking is nicely disguised.<\/p>\n

Is there anything this car can\u2019t do? On track and road it\u2019s incredibly capable, shockingly fast, and feels so in tune with your inputs. A massive leap on from the SF90 Stradale, in other words. However, it can\u2019t escape the fact that its 4.0-litre twin turbocharged engine never feels truly special. It delivers outstanding performance and sounds angry at full noise, but on the road you notice the tuneless blare at low and medium revs, and it feels pretty harsh at times, too.<\/p>\n

It seems slightly wrong to criticise a Ferrari V8 with 819bhp, but when the V6 in the 296 Speciale is so sweetly savage and with a history of amazing V8 and V12 screamers indelibly seared into my mind, pure power can only get you so far. In the context of its little brother, its predecessors or even\u00a0more pertinently, the V12-powered Lamborghini Revuelto, the 849 Testarossa feels slightly lacking as an object of pure desire. The old cliche about paying for the engine and getting the rest for free is turned on its head here.<\/p>\n

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\"Stress<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

In the end, I\u2019m completely torn over Ferrari\u2019s newest mid-engined supercar. Regardless of what you think of the design, it seems a risky time to be deliberately so provocative. Especially when the name Testarossa is so cherished and mythologised by a generation now with the spending power to go supercar shopping. Perhaps the shock will wear off, and make way for warm, fuzzy feelings. Certainly, I now really love the look of the F80 and 12Cilindri after initial misgivings.<\/p>\n

Take all that stuff out of the equation and the picture is no clearer. On the one hand I really, really<\/em> enjoyed driving the 849 Testarossa. It exceeded my expectations in so many ways. But… the engine is effective rather than inspiring, and when the entry price is so high that\u2019s a hard pill to swallow. \u2018Fantasy supercar\u2019 is a dangerous game to play as it\u2019s never as simple as mixing and matching components to create something truly cohesive.<\/p>\n

Can\u2019t help thinking what a Testarossa with a turned up, maxed out 12Cilindri engine might feel like, though. The very fact that my mind goes there is telling. As it is, the 849 Testarossa is brilliant, but carries a flaw that makes its sister models and rivals shine brighter still.<\/p>\n

Ferrari 849 Testarossa<\/strong><\/p>\n

Price:<\/strong> \u00a3407,617<\/p>\n

Engine: <\/strong>3990cc twin turbo V8 + 3 e-motors<\/p>\n

Power: <\/strong>1,036bhp<\/p>\n

Transmission: <\/strong>Eight-speed dual-clutch, 4WD<\/p>\n

Performance: <\/strong>0\u201362mph in 2.3secs, 205mph<\/p>\n

Weight: <\/strong>1,570kg (dry)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Aesthetics are so subjective that it seems a fool\u2019s errand to address them at length here. However, this is a new Ferrari. And one that adopts the name Testarossa. A car that is almost exclusively remembered and revered for the way it looks. Pure excess sculpted from aluminium and fuelled by rampant optimism and strong […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,237],"class_list":["post-1867575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-topgear-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1867575","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1867575"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1867575\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1867575"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1867575"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1867575"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}