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1988 Ferrari Testarossa Coupe. Stunning, Very Rare Example. No Reserve! on 2040-cars

US $65,000.00
Year:1988 Mileage:26060
Location:

United States

United States
Advertising:

1988.5 FERRARI TESTAROSSA COUPE.  Classic Red over Camel Hides.  Very low mileage, well-maintained example. 

 

This is a spectacular opportunity to acquire an incredible example of one of the world’s iconic Italian supercars in superb condition.  A rapidly appreciating Testarossa, specifically a 1988 mid-year model when the wheels and many other upgrades were introduced, this special example features the ideal Ferrari livery combination: Red, Tan, Black (obviously standard Testarossa dashes were chocolate brown).  Years ago, the current owner spent three years seeking out this ideal combination worldwide until finding the ideal, well-maintained vehicle to add to his/her collection.

This Testarossa is owned by a significant private collector in the Mid-Atlantic and has been his principal driving classic for years.

As is obvious in the photos (all of which were taken in advance of this listing on June 28, 2014), the car is in extraordinarily straight condition.  It has been aggressively maintained without concern at expense throughout the owner’s tenure. 

As you would expect:  The vehicle starts instantly and performs flawlessly.  The leather headliner is perfect, the high performance tires have ca. 90% remaining: Note tire nobs still visible in the photos.

No hangar queen, this vehicle is driven biweekly and has never been on a track for any reason to the seller’s knowledge. 

Despite the vehicle’s amazing condition, seller classifies it as technically a driver given ever slight signs of age of the vehicle, evidenced in the photography.  Among items, the car does have things like flawlessly matched road chips, very minor wheel scuffs, and leather scuffs/dash edging that betray to a judge or collector it’s not a 2014 model.  That said, all photos in this listing were taken on an unforgiving sunny afternoon to betray any flaws.  Obviously they are few and hard to identify. 

The car is stunning and is photographed at almost every stop light by adjacent drivers.   It is far and away the most attention grabbing automobile, Ferrari or otherwise, that seller has ever owned.

Should prospective buyers wish to see or inspect the vehicle, seller can arrange for the vehicle’s transport and mechanical inspection (fully at the prospect’s sole expense) in the care of one of America’s very few Factory-authorized Ferrari Master Mechanics.  Because the vehicle is currently at a secure, second home private location with armed security, there will be no inspection on other terms.  As a policy, seller does not allow test drives of any collection vehicle.  Thank you for your interest.

Of course this vehicle includes Ferrari tools, books, and records to include original window sticker copy from Walnut Creek Ferrari, California ($135, 050.00 USD).

WHY THIS CAR?

This car model is an extraordinary piece of automotive history.  It is an iconic, stunning design with shapes and curves that still stop the seller in his tracks years into his ownership.  The side grills, feeding separate engine banks, still amaze and their graceful slope make the car smoother and smoother as the car speeds up.  Kids and folk in the forties and fifties still ask if they can take their photo with the seller at every fuel stop.  For some reason, this car model has come to embody the supercar of the 1980s, without the ergonomic and mechanical baggage that many of us have experienced with other Italian supercars of the same period. 

The Testarossa market is indeed showing life and this vehicle likely well represents a credible opportunity to secure a position in that rising market.  Unlike the early and later eight cylinders, the Testarossa remains the most affordable largely handcrafted twelve cylinder Ferraris.  With a tubular frame, it is also a relatively advanced and straightforward design with modern adaptations beyond the achievements of the Boxer Series.  This example will flourish and allow the next owner to enjoy and drive the vehicle a great deal during this appreciation phase before exiting, in many years, with a still-low mileage, clean and perfectly optioned example.

SERVICE STATUS:

The car has been aggressively maintained by the current owner by factory trained mechanics throughout his tenure.  An experienced Ferrari collector, the vehicle has been maintained constantly without price being an object.  In preparation for the listing, the vehicle had a typical annual service and what he refers to as biannual private sorting, e.g. perfect fresh battery, fresh dual window switches, fluid services, etc…  (Done by Competizione’s Master Ferrari Mechanics the week of 23 June 2014).

As mentioned above, the vehicle is driven usually at least biweekly and has no storage/idling issues common to virtually every other Ferrari that is only stored, polished and shown.  It is driven and used and in tremendous mechanical repair as a result.

Of course the vehicle had a full engine out (30k service) and clutch replacement service at Ferrari of Washington at 20560 miles (5500 miles ago).  Seller is aware of no outstanding service needs.  As obvious in the photos, the engine bay is extremely straight and clean.  (Note that the original flaking foam deck lid insulation is long gone.  Lid lighting cables have been wrapped and protected in aviation grade heat sheathing.

Seller would embark instantly on a coast to coast drive in this vehicle from the garage without either hesitation or preparation of any kind to the vehicle.

TERMS:

This is indeed a NO RESERVE AUCTION.  Seller intends fully to honor any authentic bids made. 

To prevent any misunderstandings:  Please ask any questions in advance.  Seller is a very private party and not a car dealer;  Unfortunately please ask any and all questions before bidding as any deal is fortunate, but final.  Assume there is nothing beyond the photographed.  Buyer must provide for a significant deposit within 48 hours and payment in full by cashier check, certified funds or wire transfer within seven calendar days.  If you cannot afford the vehicle, please do not bid.  If the successful bidder fails to meet any term, seller will immediately issue a second offer to the next fortunate bidder.

This will be an extraordinary addition to any collection.  There are lots of clean, strange colored TRs on the market or others that were inappropriately cared for during their lives.  If you know the market and these cars well, you’ve likely already realized this is a special vehicle.

Heartfelt thanks for your interest.  Best of luck in your own auto pursuits and adventures….whatever they may be!

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Ferrari teases more specs on its Enzo successor

Mon, 24 Dec 2012

On its web site, Ferrari has divulged a little more info about the supercar that will succeed the Ferrari Enzo. The Ferrari magazine reported that everything the Scuderia has learned in Formula One has gone into its soon-to-be-revealed animal, and this latest disclosure shows just how much that's true. We don't know its length or width, but Ferrari says one of the targets for the car was "a reduction in height and wheelbase to match that of the 458 Italia."
Rory Byrne, the Ferrari F1 designer that's been involved in 11 world championships for the team, has spent three years contributing to chassis development. That chassis will be laid up by hand in the company's F1 composites department, each chassis composed of different kinds of carbon fiber and cured in an autoclave, F1 monocoque-style. That's part of where the lighter weight and vastly heightened torsional and beam rigidity versus the Enzo comes from. Just behind the tub - and behind the driver's back - will be the batteries and fuel tank, again, just as on an F1 car.
The cockpit will be personalized to the driver in a way that is rare among road cars, with each seat made-to-measure for the driver and then set in a fixed position in the cabin. The steering wheel and pedal box will move to accommodate pilots. What's more, we're told that "the occupant's feet are at the same level as the driving position." That, and the angle of the seatback, will provide "an extraordinarily racy feeling."

The troubled Alfa Romeo Giulia needs serious help [UPDATE]

Wed, Feb 10 2016

UPDATE: An Alfa Romeo US spokesman responded to this article with the following statement: The safety concerns expressed in the story are false. The all-new 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia is designed and engineered to meet or exceed all federal safety regulations. The Alfa Romeo Giulia will begin production for the North American market in the late second-quarter of this year. Alfa Romeo will have a full product portfolio of premium vehicles that includes plans for (8) all-new Alfa Romeo vehicles by 2020. The product launches are prioritized by segment volumes starting this year with the Alfa Romeo Giulia production for North America starting in late Q2, followed by the Midsize-UV – the 2nd largest premium segment in North America. Even on the day you dragged them kicking and screaming and gesticulating wildly to a table full of concrete evidence, Alfa Romeo executives will never admit the Giulia program is going through a tough patch. But it is. Reports say the Giulia, on the eve of production, didn't just fail one internal crash test, but failed the front, side and rear impact tests. Alfa denies it. Automotive News published a report last week saying two suppliers had insisted the Giulia, on the eve of production, didn't just fail one internal crash test, but failed the front-, side-, and rear-impact tests. A third supplier source told us the same thing. Alfa is denying it. It was due on sale in Europe late last year and was supposed to be here in the next month or two. But it wasn't, and it won't. It was to be headlined by a twin-turbo V6 that reportedly howled its way around the Nurburgring 14 seconds faster than the BMW M3 could manage. That second part is only true if you believe it's fair to compare a full lap in a standard BMW M3 with a favorable accumulation of sector times to a development prototype Giulia with 220 pounds stripped out of it and rolling on hand-cut racing slicks. No, me neither. A Promising Start The Giulia's all-new architecture was developed in just two years by a skunkworks of young engineers headed by Fiat's engineering prince, Philippe Krief, and (bafflingly) sited inside Maserati's headquarters complex in Modena, about three hours from Alfa Romeo's own Turin HQ.

Ferrari threatening to fine journalists $69,000 for breaking LaFerrari embargo?

Tue, 22 Apr 2014

In automotive journalism, we deal with embargoes on a regular basis. For the uninitiated, these are agreements between publications like Autoblog and manufacturers. While news embargoes (where pubs are provided with information and images and agree to hold until a predetermined date) are fairly common, today, we're focusing on drive embargoes. These are what we generally end up signing when we attend a vehicle launch. Generally, these are in the media's best interest. As drive programs are spread out over a week or two with multiple different "waves" of media, drive embargoes put the biggest and smallest publications on level footing when it comes to publishing reviews.
According to a report from Autocar's Steve Sutcliffe, Ferrari has taken its drive embargo for the LaFerrari hypercar a bit too far. See, initial reviews from the few publications that attended the drive event for the hybrid-powered monster can hit the newsstand or internet on April 30. Originally, syndicated stories - those sold by freelancers or publications to other outlets - couldn't be published until May 12. These syndicated reviews are big money for larger magazines and, in the case of freelance journalists, are a primary source of revenue. Inexplicably, though, Ferrari has pushed the syndication embargo back to May 26, which is bad news for everyone involved (aside from Ferrari).
This could have been nothing more than an annoyance. The stories would still get sold (although it might be for a bit less coin, considering the initial reviews will be nearly a month old) and you'll still be bombarded by reviews of the LaFerrari not once, but twice, just as Ferrari planned.