Rod Stewart’s Ferrari Testarossa is for sale

Da Ya Think It’s Sexy?

Please excuse the cheesy references to ’70s songs, but we can’t help ourselves – this Ferrari Testarossa once belonged to British rock and pop star Sir Rod Stewart.

And now this 385bhp supercar could be yours – if you’ve £149,990 to spend. Some Guys Have All the Luck, right?

It’s for sale at Ferrari specialist Rardley Motors in Surrey, UK.

Let’s find out more about it… (We promise to stop shoehorning Rod Stewart song titles into the story, too!)

New wheels

This Rosso Corsa Ferrari was ordered on 15 March 1989, but not by Rod Stewart.

It was delivered to the UK via Maranello Concessionaires and Lancaster Garages.

On 22 September 1989, it was handed to its first private custodian, Mr C from London.

Right-hand rarity

You might’ve already noticed that this classic Ferrari is a right-hand-drive car.

In all, more than 7000 Testarossas were built, including fewer than 450 UK RHD examples, like this one.

Star attraction

Mr C owned this Ferrari Testarossa for little more than a year.

On 22 December 1990, he sold it to Rod Stewart.

The London-born singer had just released It Takes Two with Tina Turner, ahead of the arrival of his 16th studio album, Vagabond Heart, in March 1991.

Crank it up

According to Rardley Motors, Rod Stewart fitted this car’s upgraded stereo and speakers.

The head unit is concealed above the air vents in the centre console.

Perhaps the original unit couldn’t compete with the Ferrari’s 48-valve, flat-12 engine?

Peep inside

The Rosso Corsa theme continues inside, with red seats and carpets.

The black dashboard and switchgear give your eyes a rest, though, while the yellow Prancing Horse emblem stands out on the simple, three-spoke steering wheel.

Get a shift on

And what’s that in the middle? The holy grail of classic Ferrari interiors: an open-gated gearchange.

In fact, all Ferrari Testarossas were equipped with a five-speed manual gearbox like this one.

Keep your cool

The Ferrari Testarossa’s near-2m (c6½ft) width was a result of the location of the radiators: they were placed on either side of the flat-12 engine, behind the cabin.

It might make driving on country lanes tricky, but the position of the radiators also called for the Testarossa’s awesome side strakes.

Nearly new

Rod Stewart owned this Ferrari Testarossa for around 1½ years.

In July 1992, it was sold to Mr K, a 37-year-old businessman from Hertfordshire.

The car – still only three years old – had 3055 miles on the clock.

Vote of confidence

Mr K enjoyed roughly 2000 miles in the Ferrari Testarossa during his two-year ownership.

When it was acquired by its fourth keeper, a politician from north-west London, the odometer displayed 5099 miles.

The story continues

Between June 1994 and February 1997, the Ferrari’s mileage more than doubled, to 11,827 miles.

Its fifth owner, an investment banker from Kent, didn’t keep it for long.

They sold to the current custodian, then a 27-year-old computer consultant, in November 1997, via Surrey-based Ferrari specialist Talacrest.

Counting the miles

Around this time, Talacrest fitted a new odometer after the original one broke.

The Ferrari’s current mileage (40,500 miles) is the grand total, including the miles it did before the odometer was replaced.

Decisions, decisions

Over the years, this Ferrari Testarossa has been maintained by marque specialists Talacrest, QV London and Paul Hargreaves.

In 2000, it was fitted with these split-rim wheels, although the original alloys are included in this sale.

Up to now

This five-owner car comes with a big history file, including lots of invoices and other correspondence.

There’s also the original service book, complete with its brown-leather wallet.

Maranello greats

The Ferrari Testarossa (meaning ‘red-head’ in Italian) got its name from the red camshaft covers that top its 12-cylinder engine.

The all-alloy motor was a development of the Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer’s unit.

Master stroke

The wedge-shaped supercar is a poster child of the 1980s.

It was designed by a team lead by Leonardo Fioravanti, who also penned the Ferrari 288GTO, 365GTB/4 and 348 while he was at Pininfarina.

Get cracking

With its low mileage and star provenance, There’s a Reason To Believe (sorry!) that this special Ferrari Testarossa will not be on the market for long.

If you’d like to find out more about it, click here to view the full advert on the Rardley Motors website.