Why settle for the subtle pleasures of a regular Ferrari Testarossa when Koenig-Specials could create something a little more forthright. We try one of the 21 built to see if it was a good idea. This one has 800bhp…
Keys on the table – I grew up hating the Testarossa. It seemed to exemplify everything I detested about the Eighties. Four-wheeled cocaine for the personality deficient; a Ferrari for whom saying they owned a Ferrari was more important than driving one; (questionable) style over substance – the opposite to a tuned Cossie. However, much as you need to be of a certain age to appreciate certain things – oysters, whisky, Pink Floyd – your first proper experience of a Testarossa will blow away any preconceptions. It’s sheer theatre – yes, there’s no getting away from its hedgerowtroubling width, but it’s also low, very red and festooned with the era-defining accoutrements we simply don’t get now. Pop-up headlamps, side strakes, antennae-like mirrors? Pass me the pastel shirt and loafers.
What if, having reached the summit of Mount Everest – after all that effort and personal sacrifice – Sir Edmond Hillary simply turned to Tenzig Norgay and shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. It is a bit of a stretch to equate the scaling of Mt Everest to the purchase of your dream supercar; however, This was Spencer Mcleans quandary. After working diligently toward his goal for years, he found himself sitting in his dream-specification Aston Martin –dark blue with cream leather – feeling underwhelmed.
Berger Sauce All Testarossa experiences are special. But we go full-on 1980s fantasy by sharing the same driving seat as Ferrari F1 legend Gerhard Berger – this very car’s ex-owner
