It was 1986. One of the cruise ship’s ports of call was Puerto Rico. At a local gift shop, a 9-year-old boy received his first “nice” car model, a 1:18th scale Ferrari Testarossa. He’d spend far too much time in his stateroom, with no lights but the small bedside reading light, turning the model while admiring how the light danced over the curves and edges of Ferrari’s most influential car: a World Car in every way. The vehicle that refined the Super Car. It defined a decade, and warped the minds of several generations of car enthusiasts. And it took this boy to a Motown design school, and eventually to a little car blog called TTAC.
Sergio Pininfarina once called the Testarossa “an exaggeration in flamboyance.” A fitting quote for what must be the most famous vehicle to leave his design studio. And while he might be right, compared to today’s flamboyant Fezzas, the Testarossa was veiled in understatement and modernist modesty.
So let’s dig deep into the Mehta Brothers garage, and check out Dr. Mehta’s 1989 Testarossa: a car we’ve wanted for decades. (Read More…)
Tagged as 1980s, 80s, Analysis, Design, Ferrari, Miami Vice, Pininfarina, Pop Culture, Sergio Pininfarina, Styling, Super Car, Testarossa
Recent Comments
danio3834 - +1. My dad is a professional pilot and his career spanned through the ’70s. With me being in the automotive industry, he’s drawn this parallel...
nine11c2 - good point Mike..
danio3834 - “But in comparison to other similar vehicles, these particular models stand out as being a much higher risk.” That’s the thing, they...
Jacob - Where does Lada Niva fall? 4WD I assume?
danio3834 - I’m not going to deride Matt for this stunt any more that I would have Evil Kneivel for jumping the fountain at Cesar’s Palace....
nine11c2 - You are right – the liability is now huge…and these are three, relatively unrelated models, the Cherokee was virtually all new in 1999…...
Jacob - Actually, replacing just one tire is a bad thing on any 4×2 car as well. At very least make sure you don’t put...
danio3834 - +1 indeed.
danio3834 - Here we go again. Which writer is going to quit this time?
Summicron - @VAT Now, now… musn’t profile people. Or libel them. Must be that damn itchy shirt.