THAT’S A TESTAROSSA? Ferrari Unveils 849 Testa Tribute

Ferrari has to be the most inconsistent brand in modern performance. Whilst that is not necessarily a bad thing, one minute they are producing incredible cars such as the 812 Competitzione and the SF90XX, and the next they release an extremely controversial machine like this, the 849 ‘Testarossa’. Yep. Not only have Ferrari unveiled a far-from-pretty product - they’ve also attached one of the brand’s most iconic badges to it. What in the world?

This is the all-new replacement for the SF90. On the surface, there isn’t very much that is comparative to its predecessor. It’s a very interesting cross breed; we certainly see elements of 296, inspiration from the unattractive F80 and even a bit of the stunning Daytona SP3. There is a lot going on. The black horizontal bonnet line is contemporary, but we are yet to appreciate it. While some have said the design looks fantastic, we are finding it difficult to see where this conclusion emerged from. Its wedge-shaped design brings sharp lines along with it, and this may be where the problems begin. Ferraris should be curvaceous. Voluptuous. The 849 is not that.

The curves have been replaced with angles, and sharp ones at that. The 849’s vertical line down the body side begins at the extruded front bumper and stretches itself to the twin-tail rear wing, similar to what is found in the impressive new 296 Speciale, and is met with a deployable rear spoiler which adds up to around 415kg of downforce at 250km/h.

Unsurprisingly, the other new design elements do also serve their purpose. The gaping front air openings are 18% larger than the SF90, with air flow further enhanced by huge intakes that have been carved into the rear fender. These are necessary to cool the new, larger intercoolers.

Underneath its skin, the 849 sees an evolution of the SF90’s hybrid twin-turbocharged 4.0L V8 system that came along with three electric motors; two mounted in the front and a third integrated into the eight-speed dual clutch gearbox. It sees about 50 horsepower more than before, squeezed out from the internal combustion engine to bring the total output to an eye-watering 1,036hp. Turbos that are larger than the F80’s are present, alongside the mentioned intercoolers, a different block, new cylinder heads and further enhancements. However, Ferrari have managed to maintain the same weight as its predecessor by borrowing titanium components from the 296 GT3. Whilst the same gearbox does remain, it is faster, stronger and more visceral than ever, with the car emitting much-needed loudness. Good.

The 849 Testarossa is said to manage a 0-100km/h sprint in a very impressive 2.25 seconds and has already proven that it’s a capable track car too; it’s 1.5 seconds quicker than the SF90 around the Fiorano test circuit and sits just behind the XX variant. But the question of road-drivability is present. The approachability of a road car with over 1,000 horsepower is a topic we have discussed for years now, and it will be interesting to see if the 849 does any better than other modern hypercars in this aspect. There’s an array of diverse driving modes, including an all-electric system which sees 25km of range. A good choice for leaving your suburban street on an early Sunday morning.

Inside the cockpit, the space is refreshed and refined, with steering wheel switches and a tactile start button, much to the delight of Ferraristas worldwide. It’s still not a particularly practical interior, but that’s not even close to its purpose. Fair enough.

As expected, there is also an Assetto Fiorano package which features more aggressive components, stiffer suspension, an abundance of carbon fibre that shaves off 30kg and special Michelin Cup2 tyres. Sounds like a good deal, until you see the package’s price tag of over $90,000AUD…

Excitingly, the Spider has been launched at the same time as the coupe, which sees a 90kg toll due to its folding metal hardtop. The before-on-road prices come in at roughly $812k for the Coupe, $882k for the Spider, with the $93k Assetto Fiorano package also being an option for both variants.

It is certain that we have entered a new era in performance, where the boundary between supercar and hypercar categories have become indistinguishable. The 849’s competitors, the Revuelto and upcoming Aston Valhalla will be sure to put up a fight, having already claimed victory in the ‘looks’ competiton, however the 849 Testarossa is sure to impress with it’s innovative tech.

Still though, we don’t think it deserves the Testarossa name.