Ferrari Testarossa Purchase

Hi,

I've been a long time admirer of the Testarossa. I find it a true personification of the 80's supercar.

While I've always loved classic cars, and have owned just one classic (911) for the last 2 years, I think I've reached a point in my life whereby i'm starting to appreciate the 'older stuff' more than the newer 'latest & greatest' cars.

My dream classic has always been a Testarossa, and while I was considering buying a 458 to avail of it's NA engine, I have decided to go for a Testarossa. I'm not interested in the older single mirror or the newer 512 TR... so I've narrowed my search down a little.

I've spent a considerable amount of time reading up on them, watching tonnes of YouTube reviews, from Harry's Garage through to **********, I still don't have a good grasp on what I should be looking out for.

I would greatly appreciate if someone could help me with the following:

01 - What should one look out for when buying one? What is the major thing to look out for?

02 - Did the Testarossa come with Scuderia Shields as an option, or are they just after market custom tweaks?

03 - How many different variation of wheel options did it come in? (i've seen single nut on Harry's Garage, and 5 nut with the Ferrari badge... are there others)

04 - Can anyone recommend a specialist to speak to?

Any other advice or input would be greatly appreciated, thank you.

 

Visit www.red-headed.com to find out model differences.

http://www.red-headed.com/testarossa_production.html

And my two cents on your other questions: frame and engine condition are the main things to look for. Paint and interior can be refurbished for any price, from cheap to expensive. Running gear and frame can't be.

Scuderia shields were not original.

84-86 - flying mirror, single lug
87-88.5 - dual lower mirrors, single lug wheels (my fav)
88.5 - 91 - dual lower mirrors, 5 lug wheels.

And the experts to talk to are right here in this forum

 

Don’t be to stuck on the price. (Don’t look for the cheapest). Buy a car with good service history. Generally cars with differed maintenance will give you more problems and cost you more in the long run. Rifle driver here on the forum is one of the experts that I know. He is very knowledgeable. Good luck on your search.

 

Every 5 yrs, engine out service - 10k$

differentials can fail - 4k$ min but could get stupid expensive if it damages internals during failure.
If the ppi says everything else is ok, and you have agreed the price - add one last contingency.... drain and inspect the trans fluid. Then decide to spend the 4k now... or risk a future high expense. Most have not failed, but some have.

fuse boards can overheat - 2k$

windows get slow over time unless refreshed (cheap fix)

ac fan switch can lose its adjustability (cheap fix)

 

if you would fill out your profile right that we know where yiou are located I think someone in your near then would help you

no

no, but as I remember 50 cars for japanese market had them on, but not sure

exhaust gas analyzer test with O2 sensors ( if they are there ) disconnected and gas tested before the cat ( if it has )
gearbox oil leaking left diff cover
fusebox overheating
and of course all what you would check on an other car when you buy a used one

 

Great, thanks for the help.

I'm based in Dublin (Ireland), but I'm hoping to view this car in the UK, this week. Thoughts?

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/ferrari/testarossa/ferrari-testarossa-2dr-5-speed-87-e--rare-monodado-example--just-serviced-hr-owen-ferrari-london/9908246?utm_expid=.tpJdMtjvQA-ox8DOzal2LQ.0&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pistonheads.com%2Fclassifieds%3FCategory%3Dused-cars%26Distance%3D2147483647%26M%3D314%26Postcode%3Dl.y.ksx.w.q.z.blus-.l7.p1nw.x.q7u-.iz.o0rk1.a.xpr.o1h.r.wx4.n.r.e.nxy.d.u.n0.h.z.i9.nq68.esz.z%26ResultsPerPage%3D100%26SortOptions%3DDate%26YearTo%3D1989

 

the service costs the add mentioned is normal, but when was this service done last time? 10 years ago?
125.000 GBP seems very high for me for the situation just now, nearly 140.000 US $
but it is one with the central lug wheels and 2 mirrors and also the mileage counter in the center console.
so be carefull: this counter can be disconnected very easy, so you still know how fast you go but this counter not read. the only car I know where this is possible

 

Thanks Turbo Joe.

It’s in for a service at the moment, so I’ll get the full story on it tomorrow.

 

5 lug cars cost more but sell for more. I owned 2 single lugs and 2-5 lugs. Get a 5 lug if you have the money.

 

The single vs 5-lug conversation has been had before and the truth is the 5-lug cars are easier to work on and arguably safer. Butttt.... many prefer the look of the single lug and the "cool" factor of them. As for one being more or less costly than the other, I haven't seen a trend to support either other than perhaps there are just so many more 5-lug models made that they are more likely to be in good condition. Condition trumps how many bolts hold the wheel on in terms of price, in my opinion at least.

 

I prefer my single lug competition woth 2 mirros

 

Thanks all.

Can anyone confirm how often the Cam Belt needs to be changed? I've read 5 years and 3 years.

 

5yrs. Many people push it 7-10. I wouldn’t push it more than 5-7.

 

My opinion, if you drive it on a regular basis/ 1000 miles a year plus, I would not be afraid of 7 years. I actually worry about tensioner bearings more.


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Thanks guys. Sorry to ask so many questions that seem basic to you, however I'm going through the service history of so many cars at the moment and I'm trying to find the right one. I've found one car that has had £32,000 spent on it 2 years ago.

It has only covered 100 miles since that.

Would that car need to be serviced again soon given the little mileage it has covered since the larger service?

Link to car - http://www.classicandsportscar.ltd.uk/Ferrari-Testarossa-_-RHD-20200-miles/classic-cars-for-sale/46363

 

Assuming the garage has a good reputation I would say no. Take it for a drive, test every button and switch on that baby!![emoji4]


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that car is very expensive for US cars but its in the UK so I don’t know the market. That recent service is extensive. Kind of odd it needed so much work at 20k miles though. My personal opinion: find something thats been driven more often and more recently.

 

If you buy a car with only 100 miles since the last service you run a significant risk from any ‘mistakes’ from the service.

poorly installed wp seal

inadequate torque

bearing failure

plus a hundred other items

Much better to buy a car that needs a service. Then YOUR chosen tech will/should shoulder the responsibility for the quality of their labor.

 

yes yes yes! I so agree with this.

 

best to buy a car is when you are seeing a car on the street or even racetrack, see it, hear it have a look at and then ask the owner how much he like to get for the car. you know for sure that this car then is not prepaired for selling

 

I've just bought a superb car and have been through a significant journey on research so if you want me to share, drop me a PM, too much to write here. Do it though, Testarossa's are amazing. Even more so amazing with a sports exhaust and now mine is running a bespoke John Pogson Sports exhaust - BEAUTIFUL SOUND!

Ps: We're not too far away too, I'm in England, things differ a bit for us compared to the USA and Europe market. Oh and Jeff (Fosker) at Foskers was absolutely incredible, great services (where I bought her) and also Dave Miller at Forza288 is a great guy too.

Talk soon.

 

@SavagePower - thanks for that

PM sent to you. Looking forward to speaking with you.

 

Are the rear tires still difficult to find for sale?

 

if you mean the metric ones for the earlier monodado’s then yes. In fact they are straight up unavailable. But now there are reproduction 16” wheels available that look close enough (wish I could have spoken to that designer, he blew it on one small detail). There are also aftermarket wheel makers that will create 17” or 18” wheels BESPOKE. Meaning you can have any approximation of the original wheel you want. I highly recommend this route on any TR.

 

No. I did not mean the metric. I meant the 255 - 50 -16. However, I just looked at Tire Rack and the only rear tire available is the BF Goodrich G Sport. That's it.