TESTAROSSA 40+ HOUR CONCOURS DETAIL

1988 Ferrari Testarossa 40+ hour Concours Detail​

(After recieving lots of attention in the Mid-Atlantic Region of FChat, we were given the go ahead to share this post with the rest of the world! Before we get into the detail though, a bit about our company for those who have not heard of us. Advanced Detailing of the Main Line is a paint correction, restoration, and concours detailing service located in West Chester, Pennsylvania. We are a fully insured facility that uses top of the line equipment and supplies to perfect your vehicle. No distance is too far as we offer local and nationwide pickup by both open and enclosed transportation. More information is available on our website. Enjoy reading about the detail.)

Although the name means "red head", this sub 8,000 mile 1988 Ferrari Testarossa came to us in ultra rare Gaillo Fly Yellow (Giallo Ferrari 102) with a stunning Nero interior. A Concours Detail was performed to bring the cosmetic appearance to its original beautiful look.
The vehicle was acquired by LBI Limited after it had been sitting in a barn since 2002. On a side note, I need to find these “barns”!!
After receiving a full engine out service to ensure this beautiful car is running perfectly it was brought to us to make it look as good as it sounds. A full wet sand was required to eliminate all of the scratches, swirls, orange peel, and even factory sanding marks from the 80's. Being an older Ferrari with single stage paint, careful attention was required to safely complete this detail.
After a 100% correction, the entire body received an application of Kamikaze ceramic paint protection coating to provide protection for years to come as well as create a deep gloss and shine.
Interior was dusty and the leather was faded which required multiple stages of conditioning to bring the dried out leather back to life. The original carpets were carefully shampooed and extracted.
Hosting a 180 degree V12, the entire engine bay was detailed to clean every surface to make it appear like it was never driven. Parts of the engine bay were disassembled so access could be granted to tight spaces specifically the exhaust can and parts of the intake manifold. We also took careful precautions to not remove factory markings of originality.
Over 40 hours went in to this stunning transformation to bring this Testarossa to impeccable Concours condition. On this post, we’ve gone into detailed description on the steps we took to safely bring the car to mint condition. Don’t forget to check out the pictures!


Restoring the paint:
To start, the paint was carefully cleansed, using a non-caustic automotive soap. Any contaminants that could not be removed in the washing process were then removed with a two-stage clay baring process (medium then fine clay). Once the paint was fully stripped and cleaned it was time to measure how much paint was on the car. Using a Positector 200B Ultrasonic coating thickness gauge, paint was measured all across the vehicle to determine overall thickness. At this time we also identified all of the scratches on the vehicle, their depth was also measured. With our newfound knowledge of the paints thickness and scratch depths, we determined a vehicle specific “game plan” on how to approach properly leveling the paint. We carefully sanded down the paint with two stages of wet sanding. This removed the factory orange peel, and scratches that otherwise would not be easily removed with compounding. During this process the paint was constantly measured. Once the paint was perfectly level it was time to remove all sanding residue from the paint. The compounding process we use is vehicle specific. When doing a paint correction you can get away with doing a 2-stage compound to remove the swirls and minor scratches, but with this car and every other car we do we want to achieve the highest gloss and get the most depth out of the paint. We start with compounding out any sanding marks. Several different sized DA polishers are used in this process. Once the sanding marks are removed we do a multi stage polish. Using different pads and polishes we correct the paint to perfection. Now on to the jeweling stage… With this Testarossa we tried something different. Instead of removing DA haze then finishing with CarPro Reflect, we used Menzerna SF4500 (a jeweling polish) then removed the DA haze and finished with Reflect. As you all probably already know Ceramic coatings give an intense gloss and depth to any vehicle when properly applied and add a layer of protection. We have been experimenting with some different ceramic coatings lately, and have found one that we have really started to like. You may have seen it coated on one of the first LaFerraris delivered in the United Stated. This coating is none other than Kamikazi Miyabi topped with Kamikazi Overcoat. After two coats of Miyabi and overcoat on top of that this Testarossa was finished and protected for years to come. One of the most rewarding things to see in this line of work is the clients face when they are reunited with their car. And in this case they were speechless. Having seen what this Giallo Fly Yellow Testarossa had looked like after having sat in a barn since 2002 to the Concours ready perfected example that it became was incredible.


Engine Bay & Interior:
All that dust, dirt, and grime, from the car being driven and its vacation in the barn was all over the engine and its components. Our 8 hour job in the engine bay was to make it look like this car was never driven. We had to pay careful attention to every part we cleaned, as there were factory markings of originality present throughout the engine bay that should not be removed.
The rear grille was removed from the vehicle to gain access to the exhaust can, which was cleaned and polished, and other areas of the intake manifold that were also cleaned. The before and after pictures show the true results of the engine bay detail.
The interior was in decent shape. Asides from the dirt and dust, the only major issue was the dried out leather. To treat the leather, we conditioned it multiple times which made it much smoother to the touch, and the color became a deeper black.

In conclusion, after 40+ hours of fun, this Testarossa is now truly in perfect condition.

Special thanks to Spencer Modes(F Chat username SMPhotography) for taking some awesome light painting pictures(last picture) and all the other independent photographers who came out and took great shots!
Thank you for reading and feel free to ask us any questions! Our contact info is below.

Matt & Brandon
Advanced Detailing of the Main Line
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Thank you everyone for the nice words, for those of you asking about pricing, our shop rate is $100/hr. Our Concours detail starts at $2000.

 

The underside was hand polished, so we didn't have to remove anything further.

 

The Scissor lift we use is an Atlas TD6MR it is very easy to use and to assemble. It is very heavy (1000lbs), but is capable of lifting up to 3 tons.

 

We use several different grades of sandpaper. It also varies for each vehicle. This car had factory sanding marks so to start we used a 2000 grit paper. After that we bump up to a 2500 grit and finish with a 3000 grit paper. With each following stage we just use enough pressure to remove the previous stages sanding marks. If you just use one grade i.e. 2000 it creates a lot more work in the polishing process and also creates a need to use more aggressive compounding methods. The process we use eliminates any need to use super aggressive compounds that can create a lot of hazing in the finish.

 

Thank you, it was great speaking with you!

 

I completely understand what you are saying but the cosmetic condition of the vehicle accounts for a great deal of it's value, especially in these rare cars. Check out the article in the DuPont Registry's Blog about the Countach we detailed. The cosmetic condition that went along side the mechanics helped drive the sale. Impeccable Red 1989 Lamborghini Countach For Sale
By the way, the Testarossa did receive a full engine out service before the detail. We wanted to do an "engine out detail" at the same time but time restraints did not allow it.