New 1987 Testarossa owner. Any advice is appreciated.

There are enough things that are Testarossa specific that I strongly suggest you have it serviced by not only a Ferrari specific shop but also one with a great deal of Testarossa specific experience.

We have had ours for over 20 years and the dash leather is still perfect. That only happens one way. It is never parked outdoors, rain or shine without a custom fitted, reflective sunscreen in place in the windshield and if not raining the windows are cracked open for ventilation. I see your instrument pod is already distorted from sun damage. That can be repaired but the fiberglass will need to be broken in several places, reshaped and patched then recovered with leather.

 

You should probably read every thread in this section .

 

I starting reading your post and thought "I wonder if that was on BaT a couple days ago". IMO, you got a great buy on a car that is undervalued when compared to other similar era cars.

That being said, your point of getting the right folks to take care of the car is super important. I have an 85 Testarossa that I purchased with close to 30k miles several years ago. We've been working through the car including returning it to the Monospecchio single mirror (it had been changed to two lower mirrors). Also, completely redid the interior (when we had to take the dash out for maintenance on the air conditioner). Recently completed a complete engine out. Replaced rubber and seals everywhere. Dry iced suspension components and everything else that made sense. Love the car. Red/tan like yours.

I also have a 92 Mondial Valeo (less than 30 ever made), a 2001 360 Spider, and just sold my 458. Randy at RMT Motorsports in Yorba Linda has taken care of all of my high end cars single 2010. Amazing experience. Always feel taken care of and never taken advantage of. When we found the Mondial, Randy traveled with me to New York to inspect the car. He is the real deal. Trained with and worked for Ferrari Newport Beach for many years before starting RMT. He is not real local to Los Angeles. But, definitely worth checking out.

Congrats on a great purchase. The car is timeless. I notice people taking video and pics of me every time I take it out. Giving the thumbs up. Great comments from everyone who you'll encounter. Enjoy the ride.

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you have 2 left mirrors?

 

If you have more pics with the stacked mirrors please post.

 

That was quick!!! Enjoy the ride!

 

So, this was a fun process! Had to find a flying mirror somewhere. Actually found a brand new mirror (minus motor) still in the Ferrari box. Had to paint it to match and replace the internals with internals from one of the lower mirrors. Had to source the glass for the triangle area where the dual mirrors were mounted. When we went into the pillar the holes were easily accessible under the filler. Then, after months of effort, upon installation, we were insightful enough to get some pictures of the dual mirrors that existed for probably no more than a day! It is a unique look though.

Randy at RMT took care of everything including sourcing the mirror.

Here are some pics!
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looks good with the 2 left mirrors - new design

 

"Cizeta" stack - cool stuff and congrats on the swap.

 

Checking in here, just won another BaT auction for a 60k mile 1987. @Coolwheels did you post on the BaT auction about yours? rickybobby?

 

The hot start issue seems to be a common TR thing. Changing the solenoid typically will not help. I did Steve Magnusson’s fix (start at post #13 in the link below) and it eliminated the issue for me.

https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/starter-fix-ratarossa.607697/

 

You and me both! Honestly, I expected the reserve to be over $125k.

I'm excited. Transaction was completed yesterday and I'm picking it up Saturday morning.

 

That looks competitive for both a paint correction and PPF. With a bunch of small pieces to deal with on the grilles, strakes and decklid I would expect $8-9k for the PPF alone with another $1-2k for good paint correction with touchups.

Are you keeping the metric wheels or going to switch? I'll almost certainly change mine to get new Michelins. If I keep it, I'll also look for upgraded brakes.

These are the 18" that Oficine Fioravanti used for their restomod, trying to figure out the brand:
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Way too high on the major price. For a straight major Ricambi sells a parts kit that except for fluids is pretty comprehensive for $1350. Id sure like to watch someone justify the remaining $5000. Thats parts alone. $10000 for labor is 50 hours at $200 per. I understand some places, particularly dealers have a higher hourly rate but any professional who needs 50 hours to do a quality, complete major on a TR needs to find a new line of work.

 

About how many hours does a typical major take?

If I remember right, my car’s last major was $8400 but that was back in 2021. I imagine, like everything else, prices have gone up due to inflation.

 

You may want to check with R2 in Castaic for a price on the major.

R2 just moved from Santa Clarita and opened a new shop in Castaic. Ask for Rafi, he’s the owner.


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In Birmingham overhead should be pretty low. My overhead has increased more in the last 2 years than in the prior 6 or 7. Parts are way up.
I should just add a line item "Joe Biden surcharge"

In most major metro areas at $8400 you are not getting a complete job. If you are paying $15000 you are getting seriously screwed.

 

Nope... just customers willing to pay for the extras and/or "learn" time

Cheers,

Sam