Trader Dreamer: Ferrari 512TR

So I've gone a second Sunday without a Trader Dreamer, but to make up for it, here’s one about a true automotive hero. These days if you want a full on lary V12 supercar you must surely go to Lamborghini or Pagani. Yes Ferrari make the fully competitive 599, but it’s engine location gives it the appearance of a GT rather than Supercar. In this day and age it’s harder than ever to make a case for a V12 Supercar that’s so big you need a runway to fully explore its abilities, but if there’s one period of time where these vehicles were at home it was the excess of the 1980s.

Photo from daveoflogic

At the end of the 70s Ferrari had the attractive mid engined 512 Berlinetta Boxer, meanwhile Lamborghini had replaced their beautiful Muira with the Countach LP400. Seemingly in preparation for the 80s Lamborghini unveiled the LP400-S, the S may as well have stood for ‘Slower’ as the car lost 15bhp. However it gained the flared wheel arches and optional V shaped rear wing which gave the car its 1980s pin up looks. Power was restored in 1982 when the engine was bored out to 5 litres, meaning it could keep pace with the Ferrari 512, however Enzo refused to have the car federalized, meaning the Countach had the wealthy US market all to itself.

It wasn’t until 1984 that North American investment bankers and drug lords got there second option from Ferrari, the Testarossa. Pininfarina penned a suitably excessive design, with a width of nearly 2 meters, without any Countach like arch extensions, it was plenty imposing. More importantly it brought the world straked intakes, which quickly became a must have for the host of tacky premium car tuners that were raking in the 80s boom money as well. While they were a rather superfluous addition to cars like the Mercedes 500SEC, the Testarossa had a perfectly valid reason to posses them. Its predecessor, the 512BB, had a habit of cooking it’s occupants, because the pipes from the front mounted radiator ran beneath the cabin to the engine. To rectify this Ferrari put the radiators in the back of the Testarossa, which required the addition of the massive vents, however safety regulations frowned upon such large openings, necessitating the addition of the strakes.

The car was a huge hit for Ferrari, and became an 80s icon, and an enduring symbol of the boom times. Whether you want to be seen in such a ‘symbol’ or not is your own choice. Personally I’d be feeling the compulsion to dress as if I were in ‘Miami Vice’ every time I went for a drive, and that’s a great deal of effort. You also sit in an interior that’s reminiscent of a MK1 fiat Uno, use a recalcitrant gearbox, and have the knowledge that you will be out dragged by a early 90’s GM saloon. There is a solution to all of this, and it comes in the form of the Ferrari 512TR.

There’s no S for Slow in this upgrade, TR stands, predictably, for TestaRossa. The engine is the same, but upgrades see power rise 38 bhp, enough to get you to 100 mph 0.4 seconds before that pesky 4 door saloon, and that’s important stuff. The interior was also upgraded, and most importantly, the gearbox no longer tried to impede your attempts at forward motion. In addition the car received a new nose cone, which replaced the Testarossa’s typical 80’s grille arrangement with something more befitting of a car with such ability.

This once £130k car will now cost you anything from around £60,000 up, while the more comon Testarossa (7,177 Testarossa’s and 2,280 512TR’s produced) can be had from around £40,000. A 512M can also be had in the same price region as the 512TR, if you dig its 90s styling features tacked on to an 80s body (you probably shouldn’t). Being nearly 2 meters wide will bring obvious problems with parking, while an average 15mpg will see you at the petrol forecourt often. Servicing can be more expensive than more modern Ferraris, as many jobs require the engine to be removed. However unlike modern cars from Modena the TR is very simple, there are no car stopping electrics to contend with, not even ABS! DK Engineering offer fixed price servicing with a minor annual service setting you back £480, while an 18k major service costs in excess of £1000. Important valve clearance setting will cost you a not inconsiderable £600 and clutches are worryingly marked POA, so try to be easy on that.  

Supercar running costs but for a real supercar. Yes 0-60 in 5 seconds and a claimed 190mph top speed may not be that impressive in comparison to the modern day Avantador, but the car still looks impressive and is plenty fast enough for something that is 2 meters wide and comes sans ABS.

Here’s Some I Found;

If only the cheapest will do, how about this late model Testarossa for a mere £39,750. It is said a cheap Ferrari will only cost you more in the long, indeed this is likely true of any car, but disregarding that, it does claim to posses a service history with relatively recent service.

This slightly lower mileage Testarossa is from a dealer and claims to have just been serviced including a cambelt. Ideally this should have been done at 18k so pay close attention to what servicing has been done by the previous owner.

Into the 512TR’s this one continues the theme of having had it’s cambelt and major service recently done, as always check the history well. A relatively high mileage of nearly 50k lowers the price to a mere £55,995, but many say the cars work better the more they’re driven, so don’t shy away from high mileage alone.

This 512TR ad fully details the cars service history, at 22k it’s hardly had a big mileage life with some minor prep being done by the dealer before delivery £59,995 seems like sensible money.

This Ferrari Specialist has a low mileage 512TR on offer for £79,995, for that you get a 16,000 mile car, other than that details are sparse. Or for a strong £99k this prestige specialist will offer you a 14,300 mile car that has been taken out of storage.

If you want the awkwardly facelifted 512M this one is available for £94,995. It has a very low milage of 11,859 and has full service history, the dealer claims only 36 were originally imported into the UK, and that’s entirely believable as only 500 were produced.

Specs

Testarossa

0-60 5.3 seconds

0-100 11.4 seconds

Top Speed 180mph

Power 390bhp @ 6300rpm

Torque 361 lb ft @ 4500rpm

Weight 1506kg

Insurance Group 20

MPG 15

512M

0-60 5 seconds

0-100 10.7 seconds

Top Speed 190mph

Power 428bhp @ 6750rpm

Torque 362 lb ft @ 5500rpm

Weight 1471kg

Insurance Group 20

MPG 15

Warrenty Direct Reliablilty Index N/A

How many left N/A