TESTAROSSA RETURNS - AS 1035BHP SUCCESSOR TO SF90

Most powerful series-production Ferrari yet arrives with a famous name

- RICHARD LANE

Ferrari has reprised a storied name with the arrival of the new 849 Testarossa, which replaces the SF90 Stradale and becomes the company’s most powerful series-production model to date.

The new supercar makes 1035bhp - 49bhp more than its predecessor - and can reach 62mph from rest in 2.35sec on its way to “more than” 205mph. Deliveries of the coupé are due to begin in spring next year, with the spider variant arriving in the autumn.

Along with its extra power, aerodynamics and chassis electronics innovations mean the 849 Testarossa can lap Ferrari's Fiorano test track in 1min 17.5sec - 1.5sec quicker than the SF90 Stradale and just 0.2sec shy of the limited-series SF90 XX Stradale.

The lap time was achieved with the help of the Assetto Fiorano package (see box, opposite), which shaves 30kg off the car’s 1570kg dry weight, as well as bringing track-focused upgrades to the suspension, tyres and body.

That dry weight figure, which is for the coupé, is unchanged from the SF90 Stradale’s, thanks to incremental weight-saving measures throughout the car that mitigate the 20kg or so that the new body and driveline modifications have added. The spider weighs 90kg more.

MORE RADICAL THAN IT LOOKS

In its styling, the mid-engined 849 Testarossa is a radical departure from its predecessor.

The leading edge adopts the striking, full-width graphic recently seen on the F80 and the 12Cilindri, while the rear of the car features two spoilers that are intended to evoke Ferrari's sports-prototype racers from the early 1970s.