restoring a testarossa

Hi - I am new here, but have been following the forum for a while. I am an experienced amateur restorer (i have restored 57 chevy, 74 pantera, 67 corvette) and can do most things at home - welding, bodywork, paint, mechanicals. I am looking for my next project, and I have always wanted a testarossa. (wish I had bought the one I passed a year ago for 30,000).

I have been holding off because I am apprehensive about costs of parts and the ability to do some repairs myself (electronic fuel injection diagnosis). Whenever I see a car for sale, the seller makes it seem like, as long as the service is "up to date" (which to me means timing belts and oil...), then the car is good to go.

But these are 30 year old cars now. Many parts just arent going to last that long. Brake hoses, calipers, suspension bushings, fuel lines, water pump, engine sensors, radiators, tires, etc... One seller was actually boasting that his car still had original tires! I understand the attraction of the original tires, but after 30 years, it is obviously unwise to use such tires on the street. I saw that as just another expense, not an asset.

When I bought my pantera, it was 30 years old and everything needed to be replaced. Isn't that going to be the case with a testarossa? When a car is being sold at 60-80K as a fantastic driver or show car, I figure it is going to need another 30-40K in parts, forget about labor. Kind of like with a mid-year corvette now, buying a decent driver is not cost effective - better to get a steal on a poor driver or buy a fully restored one. the good drivers that have not been 100% restored are a money pit.

And if there is anything wrong in the engine, how much of that can I diagnose at home? How much can even be diagnosed at a shop? I guess anything is possible with money.

thanks for your opinions. justin

 

These cars are simple. Nothing sophisticated and you will find they are typical 80s tech (no ABS, no power steering, no fancy suspension, etc). The decent cars should have had a service or two, so many of the wear items you mention (hoses, seals, etc) should have been replaced and the car should only need some basic sorting. As is always said buy the best you can afford, but buying a neglected project car is not advised due to high cost and lack of availability of certain parts. That said, it is hard to imagine you having to spend 30-40k in parts unless the car is in really bad shape.

 

that's nice to hear - thanks for the encouraging words.

A little tough to believe - I spent something on the far side of 20K in parts for my pantera - those cars need new radiator, brakes, suspension bushings, shocks, etc. I guess I have a hard time imaging all of those parts could be OK on a testarossa, but then again if one has been serviced regularly, maybe much of that work has been done already?

I've seen prices for TR water pumps and distributor caps that are shocking for an old Ford man. But I've always loved that car since I saw them as a teen, and I sort of could afford a used one now. sort of. and then there is the issue of finding somewhere to keep it. And of course the hardest part is getting the wife not to completely rip me a "new one" if I buy another old car that she can't/won't use. When I brought home the 67 vette, she did not look at it or discuss it with me for about 3 months! I am not even sure she knows what it is. She actually said that if I get another car, then she will leave me ... I probably let that one hang in the air a bit too long as I thought about it. But the expense of her "leaving me" would be more than the TR, and I have to be there for my kids.

I really envy anyone out there that has a spouse that is understanding of the hobby. (In my wife's defense), I DO have 4 vintage cars now. Hard to part with any of them after I have been through every nut on every one. You could say that is too many (not sure how that logic works) but I say there are at least 5 more old cars that I really would like to add to my collection (jag e type, cobra (good luck with that one), Aston Martin DB5 (see my comment for Cobra), TR, 63.5 Galaxie R code, and then another 4 or 5 that would still be fun - tiger, trans am, lambo miura (i can put it on my list), few mustangs)

From what I can tell, the overall makeup and suspension of a testarossa is very similar to a Pantera - which is a wonderfully neat car to look at and to drive, for a short period of time. the italian ergonomics are really something!

 

Justin, I can't comment on your issue at home but I can tell you the TR is surprisingly comfortable and easy to drive. I'm thinking of driving mine from Southern California to Monterey in August.

 

My two cents, coming from a similar muscle car background. Forget the halcyon days of ' cheap' car parts. Especially as the TRs have risen in price. Good news is that the fuel injection system is stock Bosch, so parts are generally more affordable than strict Ferrari parts. My advice would be to look for a TR whose running gear is in good shape, regardless of how the exterior or interior look. Those can be redone at any price point. The engine can't. This was my philosophy and I found a great TR that has a flat black wrap on it and an interior that was redone in ostrich leather, but only had 17k miles! It was previously a show car. The mods turned off the purists so I was able to get a GREAT price on it. Hope this helps.

 

the technique from the testarossa is no magic, very simple what a good mechanic can repair even he never did it before
sure, the parts prices sometimes are horrible but when you look at ebay you will sometimes find very good and cheap parts like ignition wires.
also those cars are not loosing value
so have fun with restoring - repairing and driving

 

+1
And well worth it too.

 

I guess my next step is to actually find a car. If anyone knows of someone who wants to get rid of a testarossa near New York City, please forward me the lead. I plan to restore it as much as needed, drive it around town in fair weather on weekends with my sons, and then give it to them when I can no longer maintain it.

Also, if anyone has any suggestion for getting it past the spouse, please forward that info also. Last time around, I bought her a new car a month before I bought my last project. Not sure it really worked all that well.

 

Show her the market since the last year and tell her it's an investment that will double your money and you can enjoy it more than the numbers on a bank account book.

 

Just buy it, better to seek forgiveness than ask permission






Must add, do as I say not as I do!

 

Yeah just show her the TR value according to Hagerty. Basically doubled in the past year and still going up! Go to www.hagerty.com, hit ' value my vehicle' or whatever and then navigate to testarossa.

 

Ah the Wife variable......

This worked well for me back in 1984: As a young lad, I put up dirt bike posters all over my bedroom walls. I talked about the new Honda CR125 constantly and how my birthday was 'just around the corner.' We were poor so my parents were sweatin' bullets. I knew they could not afford a dirt bike........but they didnt know I knew that. About a month before my Bday, I showed them a picture of a BMX bike, Its what I wanted all along.

There was a collective sigh on my parents face. I got the bike and everyone was happy.

 

2 words solution: Kitchen remodelling.

 

Check the cost of the parts. Italian parts taken off of a different car do not always bolt in. Do not forget to take into account the cost of your time to restore a car.

 

If you can most of the labor that is a big savings. Like already said these cars are not that difficult to work on. The engine is very robust. All it takes is patience, not every part needs replaced.



Ago

 

I have located a car for sale near tampa florida. Anyone know a ferrari expert near tampa who might inspect a car for me to see if it is worth the sale? justin

 

now it looks like the car is in Portugal. or more precisely, an internet scam.

in this case, he wants to deliver the car to me (it has florida plates in the images he sent) and I just pay cash on delivery. i haven't completely figured out the scam yet, but he really wants to do me this favor since in the 2 sentences of my email when I asked him where the car is and if I can call him, he can tell I am a really nice guy. I figure he will ask for a bank account and name just for security purposes for the transport company.

Apparently it costs 18000 US dollars to register a testarossa in portugal. remind me not to move there.

 

if the testarossa is older than 30 years there is no customtax to pay for car import to europe, only sales tax. in germany it is 19 %, in portugal it is 23 % of the value. so if the value of a testarossa is 90.000 us $ the sales tax is 20.700 US $
so you may count the value when you pay 18.000 US $
but also for registration you have to pay the a little ( documents, licence plate, security test ), in germany it is about 200 €
but to register a car from a non euro country in an euro country you always have to pay the sales tax what is different between 17 % (luxemburg) and 27 % (hungary)

 

The best way to weed out an internet scam is to tell them, "Wow, Im doing business in your city two days from now!" Then listen for the crickets. I would post a WTB as in the for sale section and put exactly what you want and your price range. Only respond to members who have been around a while and you get a good feel for. We tend to weed out the unwashed masses.

I got my first TR when I was young and dumb. Fortunately, it needed almost nothing. When I got my second TR, it had a couple of things to be sorted. I went in like a surgeon, slow and steady. Latex gloves, tools laid out in order, computer at the ready....IE overkill.

Then I bought a MB 190 2.3 Cosworth. It seems to be more complicated than the TR. But parts are cheap and readily available. So when calamity ensues, no worries....order another part and try again....cheap learning curve. I even borrowed Bosch parts from the TR to test on the MB. Its basically two 6 cylinder Bosch FI systems.

The reality is, the TR is the most simple of my 5 cars to work on. BUT, I still have the mental road block, 'Its a Ferrari'.

It scratches all my super car itches:

On my wall as a kid, CHECK.
Cant stop staring at it, CHECK.
Easy to work on, CHECK.
Cheap insurance, CHECK.
Minimal computers, CHECK.