This Is Not a Drill: The Ferrari Testarossa Is Back! Does the New One Live Up to the Name?

With the new 849 Testarossa, Ferrari is bringing the childhood dreams of yesteryear back to life. At least, that's the hope. Many enthusiasts grew up with a Ferrari Testarossa poster on their wall (us included), and now the legendary name returns. Will this one inspire the wonder its predecessor did?

Ferrari's latest model represents the most performance the iconic brand offers in standard production form, at least for now. With more than 1,000 hp on tap from its plug-in hybrid, twin-turbo V-8 powertrain, this mid-engine beast promises to advance performance compared to the SF90, yet Ferrari insists there's an element of comfort and daily-drivability here. Wait, what?

The Ferrari Spectrum

Don't think of the 2027 Ferrari 849 Testarossa as the greatest new Ferrari simply because it’s the latest. Instead, consider the lineup and (pretend to) buy accordingly.

We’ll start with the Amalfi. The new Amalfi is the best Ferrari for four-passenger grand-touring in coupe and convertible form. Just a twinge sportier is the Purosangue, a four-passenger, four-door SUV. The 12Cilindri is a mix of 12-cylinder performance with a sportier feel, which leaves the 296 GTB and its pure driving experience.

Until recently, the SF90 was the pinnacle of Ferrari’s hardcore road cars, but that place in the lineup is now taken by the mechanically related 849 Testarossa. This is the most performance you can get in a Ferrari without already having a pre-existing relationship with the brand and access to Maranello’s pinnacle models like the Daytona SP3 or the new F80.

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The Fastest Gas Car We Ever Test (Maybe)

The 849 Testarossa's predecessor is the quickest non-EV MotorTrend has ever tested, so the stakes are high for the new model. Like the SF90, the 849 Testarossa is a plug-in hybrid with a turbocharged V-8 at its mid-engine heart. Horsepower for the engine rises to 819 hp at 7,500 rpm, a bump over the 769 hp in the SF90. Torque is rated 621 lb-ft at 6,500 rpm.

These would be impressive numbers on their own 10 years ago, but electrified supercars have elevated expectations across the board. For the 849 Testarossa, that means 1,035 total system horsepower from its 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 and the three motors—two on the front axle and one on the rear, enabling all-wheel-drive traction. If you’re keeping track, the standard SF90 didn’t quite crack 1,000 hp, coming to 986 hp.

Acceleration from 0 to 62 mph (the equivalent of 0–100 kph) comes to a reported 2.25 seconds. Yes, Ferrari is that specific in its claim, and we suspect that when we track test it, the car will be even quicker. When we tested the SF90, it hit 60 in 2.1 seconds.

The SF90 also managed an absolutely blistering 9.6-second quarter-mile run at 145.2 mph. Expect the Testarossa to match or very slightly beat that. In our testing, we found the SF90 "incredibly easy to drive fast," and the same should hold true for the new Testarossa. Top speed is reportedly 205 mph.

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And yes, it still feels strange to reference a new car from Ferrari as a Testarossa in 2025, regardless of its performance numbers.

Whether you call it the Testarossa or 849 Testarossa, the new model is the same weight as the SF90 thanks to the use of lighter-weight components throughout the powertrain. The Testarossa Spider convertible will be about 198 pounds heavier than the coupe, with most of that being the retractable hard top equipment and about 22 pounds of chassis reinforcements.

Ferrari also points to a “big step forward” in shifting calibration from the eight-speed dual-clutch automatic and says the car will sound better than the SF90.

Four different tires will be available to suit each driver’s unique needs. Options range from the Bridgestone Potenza Sports (also available in run-flat form) and Pirelli P Zero Rs to Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 (for the higher spec Assetto Fiorano), with Cup 2 R available on request.

What this all means is the ability to get closer to the precise supercar experience you want. Owners of the 849 Testarossa may be new to Ferrari, but they aren’t likely to be new to high-performance supercars.

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A More Accessible Supercar?

More than once at the reveal event in Milan, Ferrari talked about the new Testarossa’s accessibility and comfort. Ferrari’s lead engineer even says you could daily-drive it, though why bother when your (fantasy) garage surely has a car for every driving mood?

Even so, a technology called FIVE is part of this effort. That stands for Ferrari Integrated Vehicle Estimator, and it’s the latest example of how math and science can help improve performance. In this case, the tech helps predict what the driver wants, especially at the limit.

Ferrari says the system creates a digital twin of the car in real time based on a mathematical model that is itself based on various measurements from sensors on the car. Put it all together, and it should make the car more predictable, something you want in a 1,035-hp supercar that thinks faster than you can.

Maybe there’s comfort in predictability. We already found the brakes of the SF90 impressively consistent, which is a feat considering how many normal hybrids can’t manage this task. Here, the upgraded braking system uses FIVE data to determine target wheel slippage at all four corners and then adjusts braking distribution accordingly.

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The Testarossa Spider

No mid-engine supercar is easy to gracefully enter and exit, and we can confirm the same is true for the 849 Testarossa. I'm 6-foot-4, and the day I poked around the new Ferrari, my Testarossa dreams were crushed; I don't fit. Good thing there's a roofless option in the form of the Testarossa Spider.

Slightly more people are expected to order the Spider with its retractable hard top, based on how things leaned for the SF90. Ferrari also confirmed that a more hardcore Assetto Fiorano model will be available for both body styles. If you're into showing off the engine, know that it's much easier to see and appreciate with the coupe, thanks to a larger engine-door opening.

The SF90 attracted younger buyers than before, but enthusiasts of all ages can agree that scraping your $540,000 supercar should be avoided at all costs. So, to that point, every new Testarossa offers a nose-lift system—not new tech but a feature that wasn't available for the SF90 Assetto Fiorano variant before.

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Poster-Car Worthy?

Form follows function on the Ferrari 849 Testarossa, which resembles a Lancia Stratos from the side if you squint a little and focus on its short rear overhang. There's not one or two, but three spoilers on the Testarossa—two noticeable fixed ones on either corner of the rear as well as an active unit slightly below those.

The fixed spoilers look purposeful on the standard cars and a bit over the top on the Assetto Fiorano, which is maybe appropriate for that sportier and harder-edged model.

Flavio Manzoni, chief design officer, describes the rear of the Testarossa as the real game changer of the design. Inspired by the 512S race car from 1970, the spoilers really do distinguish this supercar from so many others with similarly ridiculous performance.

The low nose makes an impression in person, and the car fits well in Ferrari’s design aesthetic. That all said, we’re not sure the car is destined to be the type of style icon its predecessor became.

Inside, things are special, premium, and simple, as you’d expect from a focused high-performance machine. The main screen is the driver display, and the cockpit has been ergonomically improved in ways only an existing SF90 owner will notice and appreciate.

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Never Enough

That's not the name of a James Bond movie, but that's what happens when you call your car a name that’s attached to idealized memories of the past. There’s nothing on the Ferrari 849 Testarossa, a car that’s a major midcycle refresh of the SF90, to recall the Testarossa of ’80s, as Ferrari unapologetically looks toward the future. Whether that’s a good or a bad thing is yet to be determined.

This strikes us as bold thinking, but it also risks disappointing wealthy enthusiasts who fondly recall the original. Then again, perhaps it’s not a very big risk considering the high demand for new (and classic) Ferraris. Some may want more visual nods to the past, but that's not this car.

The 2027 Testarossa is a meaningful update on a proven formula, one we can’t wait to test.