Ahhh, the Testarossa. That enigmatic, ostentatious and unapologetically decadent symbol of 80’s excess continues to confound and divide Ferraristi and auto enthusiasts alike. Along with the Lamborghini Countach, this was the poster car of the decade when mullets and shoulder pads ruled and excess was the rule rather than the exception.
The Testarossa certainly wasn’t lacking in drawing attention, but for those who insisted on having something even more special, a Spider was simply the car to have. There was only one problem - Ferrari didn’t build a Testarossa Spider at the time, and when it did, it was a one off - a special car for a special man.
Along Came a Spider
This holy grail/unicorn of a Spider will forever stand as the sole and priceless droptop Testarossa ever produced by the factory at Maranello. At the time, Ferrari was owned by the Fiat Group, whose chairman was the charismatic and indefatigable Gianni Agnelli, possibly the most iconic Italian industrialist ever. In honor of Agnelli’s 20-year anniversary as Fiat’s chairman, Ferrari decided to build and gift him the sole Testarossa Spider you see in the above photo.
The Real Deal
For others aspiring for a similar car, there was some hope after all. The famed Italian coachbuilder Pininfarina, the carrozzeria that actually penned the broad and wedge-shaped car with the "cheese grater" side air intakes did in fact step up to produce about a dozen of these not-quite-factory authorized spiders for some lucky and well-heeled customers. Beyond these 2 iterations, several companies undertook the choptop conversions of the Testarossa including Straman and Koenig, with varying results, but none of these ever approached the desirability of the Pininfarina cars. One of these rare and delectable cars is currently up for sale on the JamesEdition Car Club.
Rare Red Head
Such a golden opportunity obviously does not present itself to potential buyers very often, so for those with deep pockets and a desire to hear the song of Maranello’s boxer-12 singing behind your head and the wind blowing in your hair, the time to act is now.
Sources: James Edition, Carbuzz