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The words "testa rossa" are very popular in Maranello. First applied to the 1956 Ferrari 500 Testa Rossa, the branding translates to "red head," appropriate for the racer because of its bright red cylinder heads. The name would continue in a variety of racing applications until the 1984 introduction of the Testarossa supercar, which also had red engine accents and became an icon of the era thanks to its cheese-grater side air intakes, outlandish width, and of course, pop-up headlights.
So when it came time to build a modern-day successor, Ferrari hoped it could bring some of those design features back. But unfortunately, the 849 Testarossa will go without pop-ups.
Paying Homage In The Right Way
The newest member of Ferrari's TR family isn't a line-for-line remake of the 1980s Testarossa. For example, the vaned side intakes are represented graphically by a black accent running vertically down the car. The wide stance is there, although it's rendered in smoother contours than the wedgy Testarossa and its 512 TR and F512 M successors. One design element that Ferrari didn't want to merely reinterpret, however, was the original's use of pop-up headlights. Instead, the Prancing Horse wanted to just bring them back, full stop.
Speaking to Australian media outlet CarExpert, 849 Testarossa lead designer Jason Furtado said the styling team explored whether it could bring back pop-up headlights for the new supercar as a means of paying homage to Ferrari's sports and concept cars from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. After all, the automaker relied on aerodynamic, hidden headlamps for legends like the 288 GTO and F355 Berlinetta, with the 456 M even carrying on the tradition until 2003.
But unfortunately, the design team discovered that creating a set of appropriately styled pop-ups while still complying with the varying safety and regulatory restrictions of each of the 849 Testarossa's intended markets was impossible. Furtado specifically called out China and the US as two such locations where disparate vehicle regulations made the distinctive headlight style impossible to implement, and we can't imagine European pedestrian safety standards would've been easy to comply with either.
Emo Eyeliner Makes Its Return
However, Ferrari found a somewhat controversial solution to its pop-up problem. As with the 365 Daytona–inspired 12Cilindri and the F80 (rumored to spawn a targa-top variant), the 849 Testarossa makes use of a wide, black band across the front fascia, stretching between the headlights. Per Furtado, the element masks the appearance of the headlights and makes them appear slimmer. On the Testarossa specifically, the designer says they hearken back to the muscular front fascia of the 288 GTO, which featured a matte black bumper bar just beneath its headlights. We don't entirely see the resemblance, but we do respect the attempt.
The design element is but one of many that Ferrari used to recall some of its most legendary cars, not merely the 1980s Testarossa. As CarExpert points out, the 849 wears as many styling cues from Ferrari's 1970s prototype racers, the 512 S and the 512 M, including the voluptuous door skins and twin-wing spoiler design. Still, the tail of the modern Testarossa harks back to its Miami Vice forebear with a full-width taillight motif that incorporates engine vents.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
Resuscitating the Testarossa name in an appropriately styled machine is just one example of the pitfalls of ever-advancing globalization. As each region adopts its own safety regulations (and design preferences), building just one model to appeal to a worldwide audience is a monumental challenge. That said, we think the 849 Testarossa does a good job of it. Disabusing oneself of the notion that it's a remake of the wedge-shaped, flat-12–powered supercar of the 1980s allows a person to really appreciate the classic racing-inspired styling of the hybrid supercar – whether or not it has pop-up headlights.
Source: CarExpert
