We drive a Ferrari 849 Testarossa. We approve.
Photos: Tim Warren and Supplied
The ‘Testarossa’ name has been used just a few times over 79 years of Ferrari; remember the 1980s supercar.. The rear mid-engined layout has taken leaps and bounds, and the 849 is a plug-in hybrid – but no Prius here folks – it’s all about performance. The electric system adds 163Kw (220Hp) performance and enhances the already enourmous 619 Kw (830 hp), and 842 Nm from the 4 litre dry-sump flat-plane V8. Add all that together for the eye watering total of 784 Kw (1050hp) propelling just 1,570Kg. Does anyone need this? Absolutely not. That is the whole point. Screaming excess, dripping with carbon, flirting outrageously with every sculptured swoop of the bodywork. A car to be seen and heard. This car is so exclusive it wasn’t available in New Zealand. So I came to Sydney for the experience. Am I excited? Yes, yes I am.
Referred to as the successor to the hybrid SF90 – the 849 is more than that. Gorgeous, beautiful, and potent, yet violent, brutal and menacing. Performance is primary at Ferrari. It’s everywhere. A fighter pilot set up surrounds the driver, everything is in reach. There’s only a driver’s dash screen, I don’t miss the centre screen. Super lightweight buckets are adjustable, but manual for weight saving. Padding and parts of the interior are beautiful blue in this demo car. Alcantara makes a nice surface and there’s plenty of leather. Ferrari’s DCT Dual Clutch Control is a look-alike gate shift with sliders for automatic, manual, launch, or reverse. It’s nothing like a manual, yet very handsome. Carbon paddle shifters are tied to the steering column. That’s a Ferrari and Maserati thing they’ve been doing for some time. Indicators are positioned at your thumbs so your hands are on the wheel at all times.
The V8 sounds fabulous and announces your arrival to all with the anger of the mill that will spin to 8,300 if required. Helped along by the two largest turbos ever fitted to a road-legal Ferrari. Two electric motors drive the front end, and another for the rear, because why not? So yes, this monster is 4 wheel drive and 4 wheel torque vectoring. Throttle response is huge in any mode. There is no Comfort mode here, the ‘normal’ driving setting is Sport, and it goes up from there to Race and Qualifying. Cautious of all the power? Wet mode. Rough road? Select Bumpy Road on the manettino for more relaxed dampers.
Titanic grunt is delivered progressively making it somehow easy to manage. Surely this much zoom should be difficult to handle? That said, you can almost never use full throttle – 10% is plenty most of the time. Driving around town I used electric mode extensively. And always when in garages, because this thing is wild and it wants to prove it all the time, so you do what you need to do so it is manageable. The car can hit 100Kmh in just 2.3 seconds, the only place you can try that is on track. While you are there you might see the 330+ top speed, it depends on the track and how brave you are.
Steering is pin-sharp without being fussy. It’s not small, 4.7m long and 2 meter wide, yet it goes exactly where you point it. I was cautious piloting it at first, because they’re so incredibly valuable, this one is about $1.5m NZD. But you have a very good sense and understanding where you are. The backing camera is extremely important on a car like this. I’d like a camera for the front because it’s low, thankfully a front lifter helps. It’s a firm, accurate ride with feedback that’s informative and never uncomfortable.
The carbon brakes are possibly the best I’ve ever felt, it’s such a shame I hardly got to use them because this car will take any corner at any speed. The merest brush on the brake and it calmly washes off speed with enormous 410 and 372mm discs. It is ‘brake-by-wire’ meaning there is no physical connection between pedal and callipers, but I didn’t notice any difference in feel. Overall the linear and lateral grip is unmatched, helped by the plentiful downforce onto massive tires. It ships on 265 / 35 R20 and 325 / 30 R20 rubber, and you can choose from the stickiest Michelin, Pirelli or Bridgestone.
It doesn’t just race, it also loves to cruise. I eat at one of Bondi’s establishment restaurants – Sean’s Panorama. Street parking was easy, and while the cost was hard to stomach, the food was great. Also great was the entertainment that consisted of people stopping and staring at the car. The highlight was when the chef left the kitchen to ogle the beast. I was staying at the Moxy Sydney Airport Hotel. I chose it because it has locked internal garaging. It was a great way to gauge the visual impact of the car because with a lot of people in and out of the hotel, when I was entering or exiting, it got a large amount of attention. This Ferrari is an event. It’s gorgeous to look at. It’s quite extraordinary, because it doesn’t look like any other car. You know it’s a Ferrari, but it doesn’t look like other Ferraris. It’s just so extreme looking, emphasised by its low 1.2m height. And the window over the engine bay puts it all on display. Monocoque tub, massive intake pipes, the ‘red-head’ V8. As I’m writing this, people stop and stare, mouth agape. Double take? No, it’s a triple.
The 849 buyer knows they are putting extreme performance ahead of a few things. Don’t buy this if you want a grand tourer or a tow bar. You are driving a race car – and that’s what you want. That’s why you bought it. It’s a whole other level. Everyone can pilot and love the beautiful Ferrari Amalfi. But the 849? This is not an everybody car. This is a (few) levels up. Is it ridiculous and insane? Absolutely. That’s why I love it. Supercars embrace passion while throwing logic out the window. Ferrari claim it to be their boldest car ever. I can’t disagree, the 849 is special, and it’s built to be driven.
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