• This 1988 Ferrari Testarossa which is currently up for auction on Bring a Trailer makes us overdose on nostalgia.
• Not only is the Testarossa an 80s icon thanks to the TV show miami vicebut the BaT photo shoot has vivid retro vibes.
• This mint ’88 Testarossa has just over 5,000 miles, all racked up thanks to its 390 horsepower, 4.9-liter flat-12 engine. The auction ends on Tuesday, November 29.
If you waste as much time scrolling through Bring a Trailer as I do, you now know that the vast array of exotic and vintage vehicles can easily mix together, unless you’re looking for something specific. If I had a penny every time I saw a Ferrari Testarossa at auction, I would feel like I had enough to afford one. However, the 1988 example that is currently listed on BaT, which, as Car and driver– is part of Hearst Autos, gave me pause due to its wonderfully retro photo shoot.
There’s just something about the purple and gold background of the Testarossa photos that vividly recalls the vibe of the 1980s, a decade when cars were as big characters on American TV shows as the actors who drove them. Who can forget KITT, the custom black 1982 Pontiac Trans Am from Knight Rideror the red Ferrari 308GTS Quattrovalvole driven by a mustachioed Tom Selleck in Magnum IP? And of course, the other ride that epitomizes the 80s is the Testarossa, like the white one driven by Don Johnson’s character Sonny Crockett. Miami Vice.
All that automotive nostalgia was stirred in me when I paraded past the 1988 Testarossa list, and I was forced to investigate further because I wasn’t even quite sure what paint color . Upon closer inspection, I discovered that it was wearing what Ferrari calls Oro Chiaro Metallizzato (translation: light gold metallic light blue-green). It certainly wouldn’t be my first choice. Then again, what’s more tacky, uh, more appropriate for representing 1980s style than a gold supercar?
For those of you who care less about my incessant nostalgia, I’m happy to point out that this specific Testarossa only has a little over 5000 miles on it. Whether it’s easy or hard miles, we’ll never know. Judging by the photos, however, this Ferrari looks pretty good top, inside and below. Currently, he has a bid of $112,000 and the auction is set to end on Tuesday, November 29.
Its Nero Connolly (read: black) leather interior looks immaculate and wear-free, although the color combination is a dull choice, IMHO. I think the seats look like they’ve been taken out of a bumper car, and the center console is a distracting mishmash of buttons. Still, I only wish I could grab the Ferrari’s thin-edged three-spoke steering wheel and chock the gear lever through its exposed parts doors. Did I mention this car comes with matching luggage? It’s so searching.
Finally, the 1988 Ferrari Testarossa is equipped with a 4.9-liter flat-12 engine. By today’s standards, its rated 380 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque wouldn’t even impress people with a Ford Explorer ST in their driveway. When Car and driver tested a 1985 Testarossa, it took 5.0 seconds to hit 60 mph and 13.3 seconds to 107 mph to complete the quarter mile. Again, a Explorer ST of 1087 pounds more and 400 hp is within a few tenths of both marks.
Yet in this admittedly random comparison between Ford and Ferrari, it should be obvious that when it comes to the Testarossa, it’s never going to be about the numbers. It’s about to be one of the most recognizable cars on the planet, and one that makes you feel like a tanned Sonny Crockett chasing evil coke-dealers through the streets of 1980s Miami. .
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This content is imported from the survey. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, on their website.