The Ferrari Testarossa is back as a new hybrid supercar

Ferrari doesn’t really do mid-life facelifts. Instead, it prefers to give its supercars a thorough reworking, a fresh design, more power – and a new name.

In the case of the successor to the SF90, it’s not just any name. Ferrari has dived head-first into the history books and surfaced with one of the most iconic names of all time. Testarossa.

Italian for ‘redhead’, the Testarossa name was first used back in 1956, when Ferrari’s latest prototype race car, named the 500 Testa Rossa (two words), featured red paint on the cam covers of its engine. The Testarossa name was used again in 1984 for a roadgoing, Pininfarina-designed supercar that succeeded the Berlinetta Boxer.

Best known for its deep side strakes and wide hips, the Testarossa famously appeared in TV series Miami Vice and in Sega’s 1986 video game Out Run.

Fast-forward to 2025, and the new 849 Testarossa has some big shoes to fill. It uses the same general platform as the SF90, complete with a hybrid-assisted and twin-turbocharged V8 engine, a twin-clutch gearbox and a modest electric-only range. As with the SF90, there are three electric motors; two driving the front wheels, and a third between the engine and eight-speed gearbox.

Total combined output for the motors and four-litre V8 engine is 1,035 horsepower, up 49hp on the Testarossa’s predecessor. The 0-62 mph time has dipped below the 2.5-second mark, to a claimed 2.35s, and the top speed is claimed to be over 205 mph. The hybrid system is powered by a small, 7.5 kWh battery that promises up to 18 miles of electric range.

Available as both a fixed-roof coupe and a convertible Spider, the 849 Testarossa is Ferrari’s most powerful series-production car to date. It is claimed to be 1.2 seconds per lap quicker around the company’s Fiorana test track than the SF90, and just 0.2s behind the limited-edition SF90 XX Stradale.

The Testrossa’s styling is a huge departure from its predecessor. It features a visor-like front end, similar to that of Ferrari’s 12Cilindri and F80, while the rear is punctuated by a pair of spoilers extending outwards from the rear deck and harking back to racing cars of the 1970s.

Inside, the cabin sees Ferrari’s continued shift away from haptic touch pads and back to buttons. As with the F80 flagship, this is most obvious on the 849’s steering wheel, which appears to have a physical starter button, whereas the SF90’s had a glowing touch panel.

There’s no UK price yet, but Ferrari has said the 849 Testarossa is priced from €460,000 for the coupe and €500,000 for the convertible.

The optional Assetto Fiorano pack – which includes lightweight bucket seats, carbon fibre wheels and other weight-saving extras – costs an additional €52,500. Deliveries will begin next spring for the coupe and in the autumn for the spider.