1993 Ferrari 512 TR

Ferrari introduced the Testarossa at the Paris Auto Show in October 1984 as a successor to the Berlinetta Boxer, another Pininfarina design introduced in 1973. Its name recalled Modena's all-conquering sports racers of the late 1950s with the dramatic and functional Pininfarina styling.

The bodywork of the Ferrari Testarossa was exotic and muscular, and the mid-mounted 180-degree, 4.9-liter engine featured Bosch K-Jetronic electronic fuel injection and four valves per cylinder, delivering 390 horsepower and making the Testarossa the world's most powerful sports car at launch. It delivered blistering performance with acceleration from resto to 60 mph in just over 5.0 seconds, the ¼-mile in 12.9 seconds, and a top speed approaching 180 mph. It remained in production for 11 years, ending in 1995, was the fastest production car during that period.

The Testarossa had a rigid tubular-frame chassis with fully independent suspension, rack-and-pinion steering, and large four-wheel ventilated disc brakes. It used Ferrari's classic gated shift lever controlling the five-speed manual gearbox.

The Ferrari 512 TR made its debut in 1991 and brought with it an increase in power to 428 horsepower at 6,750 RPM with comprehensive updates to the engine, brakes, engine mounts, tires, driveline, and interior. It continued to wear styling by Pininfarina with body updates that better integrated the spoilers and engine cover, along with other tweaks that brought its styling inline with Ferrari's contemporary V-8 348. By 1992, 512 TR pricing was from $212,160 USD.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2020