Henry Catchpole gets behind the wheel of the new Ferrari 849 Testarossa in this episode of The Driver’s Seat. With a price tag of £407,617 and 1036bhp on tap from its PHEV drivetrain it should be pretty spectacular, but does it just feel like an update of the slightly underwhelming SF90 Stradale or does it deserve to follow in the tracks of the legendary Testa Rossas and Testarossas that have gone before it?
Certainly the 849’s bold new exterior aesthetic and more tactile interior design seem to have much more main character energy than its direct predecessor. For example, we could certainly imagine an 849 Testarossa in a modern remake of Miami Vice (as long as it was painted white, obviously).
To get a feel for the dynamics of the 849 Testarossa, we drove it both on some spectacular roads in Andalucia and also around the Monteblanco circuit. It’s a car that very much needs both locations to show off the breadth of its abilities; Everything from its 15miles of pure EV range (using just the front axle to propel itself) to its incredible pace around a lap in full Qualifying mode. Employing the full force of the 4-litre V8 with its larger turbochargers and the traction from the e4WD system the 0-62mph time is just 2.25 seconds and it will reach 124mph in a mere 6.25 seconds.
On the track we tried a car with the optional Assetto Fiorano pack (costing £42,115) which comes with some 512 S inspired aero additions at the rear, carbon wheels and the option of a passive Multimatic suspension set up. On the road we had an Ferrari 849 Testarossa with the standard Magneride adaptive dampers and the bodywork in a colour scheme that neatly matched the Écurie Francorchamps livery of one of its ancestors.
A big thank you to DK Engineering for their help with filming the wonderful 500 TRC and fabulous early, single mirror Testarossa in this video.
Does the Ferrari 849 deserve a place alongside them? And would you rather have an 849 Testarossa or a 12 Cilindri or a Lamborghini Revuelto? Let us know in the comments down below.
