Testarossa

[Ralph P]

Welcome and I hope your enjoy your purchase.

There is a 10 year gap in the history between 1994 and 2004, during which time it covered 2,300 miles. Is there any history during this period?

As Mod says, it's also critical to understand what work was performed, rather than the dates and mileages which it visited a garage. Hence, a history file with invoices is so much more valuable than a stamped book.

Look forward to seeing pictures!

[Carper]

Also if anyone is in the East Anglia area and would recommend a decent place for servicing that would be cool.
Thanks,
Jason

You could talk to Roberto Grimaldi who is in Halstead, Essex ...... excellent reputation for looking after Ferrari's and he is right next door to Eurospares so has a good supply of parts on tap that most dealers / indies probably wouldn't hold stock of.

[Carper]

Welcome and I hope your enjoy your purchase.

There is a 10 year gap in the history between 1994 and 2004, during which time it covered 2,300 miles. Is there any history during this period?

As Mod says, it's also critical to understand what work was performed, rather than the dates and mileages which it visited a garage. Hence, a history file with invoices is so much more valuable than a stamped book.

Look forward to seeing pictures!

Ditto ... on a testarossa i would expect to see an inch thick stack of invoices accumulated over the years ( Ferrari owners do not throw these away unless there is a reason to hide something that did or did not happen IMO ). In this stack would also be all the MOT's, storage invoices if applicable, etc etc

[Jampye]

Fair comment, I’m hoping that there will be a pile of receipts when I get there... it’ll be good to see the whole history ...

[Fluffekins]

Best of luck and looking forward to the pictures when you get it.

Also heard good things about Grimaldi, Hoyle Fox in Maldon also get the from me.

[Gregory]

Hi Jason,
Welcome to the forum and to the club of Ferrari owners.
I am myself a fan of the Testarossa and ended up purchasing one last year (new ownership post still to come so I am hoping for some sunny weekends ahead to take some pics).
Notwithstanding eveything I heard or read about this car, I still consider it is one of the most striking models that came out of Maranello and seeing it always bring a big smile. It is also one of the rare Ferraris I never see in the streets, despite living in London and despite the sheer number produced. I like the fact it is the last mid-engine GT produced, the last 180 degree V12, and is one of the last true mechanicals Ferraris. It really marks the end of an era. So far ownership has been good, the car always starts first time and I have had no notable issues, although I know some can loom and bite at any point.
It is indeed very wide, and the steering is very heavy so it is true that it is not an easy car to handle at first but after a couple of drives you will get used to it and as mentioned by Harry Metcalfe, it offers a great visibility on all sides so once you are on the road, it is actually not difficult to handle (including in traffic despite the fairly heavy clutch).
I have never driven another Ferraris, so I cannot really compare but the car still has what I would call a great acceleration with immediate torque and a great sound. On long stretch of open roads, you will really enjoy flooring it (it's like having a massive hand steadily pushing you in the back). I went on other cars having similar 0-60mph performance on paper (c. 5.2s) but they felt very slow in comparison.
PPI is key indeed. I had a very good experience at Bob Houghton. They uncovered many of the issues mentioned earlier and went into great details which allowed me to avoid one of the cars I had spotted initially. You should also ask for a compression test and also look at speedo, tacho, and all the other indicators, including fuel gauge. If originality is key for you, make sure it has the black horse on the back, no horse in the front, no stickers on the side, the black gearlever knob, the thin leather steering wheel, black skirt, and original exhaust (many were replaced although maybe less on non-cat cars like this one).
Keep us posted on the ppi.
Greg

[sssdu01]

Thats reminded me that Darkshines had a performance silencer on his Teterossa (might have been a Tubi ? ) and the noise was just epic sounding like a old scool F1 race car, so may not be the end of the world if it doesnt have the original exhaust .

[Jampye]

Hi Jason,
Welcome to the forum and to the club of Ferrari owners.
I am myself a fan of the Testarossa and ended up purchasing one last year (new ownership post still to come so I am hoping for some sunny weekends ahead to take some pics).
Notwithstanding eveything I heard or read about this car, I still consider it is one of the most striking models that came out of Maranello and seeing it always bring a big smile. It is also one of the rare Ferraris I never see in the streets, despite living in London and despite the sheer number produced. I like the fact it is the last mid-engine GT produced, the last 180 degree V12, and is one of the last true mechanicals Ferraris. It really marks the end of an era. So far ownership has been good, the car always starts first time and I have had no notable issues, although I know some can loom and bite at any point.
It is indeed very wide, and the steering is very heavy so it is true that it is not an easy car to handle at first but after a couple of drives you will get used to it and as mentioned by Harry Metcalfe, it offers a great visibility on all sides so once you are on the road, it is actually not difficult to handle (including in traffic despite the fairly heavy clutch).
I have never driven another Ferraris, so I cannot really compare but the car still has what I would call a great acceleration with immediate torque and a great sound. On long stretch of open roads, you will really enjoy flooring it (it's like having a massive hand steadily pushing you in the back). I went on other cars having similar 0-60mph performance on paper (c. 5.2s) but they felt very slow in comparison.
PPI is key indeed. I had a very good experience at Bob Houghton. They uncovered many of the issues mentioned earlier and went into great details which allowed me to avoid one of the cars I had spotted initially. You should also ask for a compression test and also look at speedo, tacho, and all the other indicators, including fuel gauge. If originality is key for you, make sure it has the black horse on the back, no horse in the front, no stickers on the side, the black gearlever knob, the thin leather steering wheel, black skirt, and original exhaust (many were replaced although maybe less on non-cat cars like this one).
Keep us posted on the ppi.
Greg

Thanks Greg, Greta advuise and knowledge, I’ve just checked the photos for all the original bits you mentioned... looking good so far, I’m on my way to view the car now and the PPI is booked for next week...

[Gregory]

I forgot to mention in terms of originality, you may want to check it has:
- 2x original folding keys
- toolkit in original leather folding pouch
- replacement wheel under the trunk

[Carper]

Thanks Greg, Greta advuise and knowledge, I’ve just checked the photos for all the original bits you mentioned... looking good so far, I’m on my way to view the car now and the PPI is booked for next week...

Best of luck ..... hope it ticks all the right boxes and, if so, cant wait to see some pictures.

I was very very close to buying one in 2010 but it simply would not fit my garage so got a 355 instead which was no downgrade to me as it was my equal favourite Ferrari of all time alongside the "T".

Hope you find "the one"