Of all the historic Ferrari race cars, the 250 Testa Rossa is perhaps one of the most well-known, or at least, most desirable model. It’s not hard to see why; the 250 TR collected 18 victories under its belt in its five years of service, including three championship titles and four wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans – the only Ferrari to ever do so.
In fact, an original unrestored Ferrari 250 TR was reportedly sold for an eye-watering 29 million Euros (~RM144 mil) back in 2014 – so yes, there are still people who would jump at the first opportunity to own one, no matter the cost.
The only problem is that most people don’t have 29 million Euros to spend on a car – and that’s also assuming that prices has stayed stagnant since 2014, which we all know is impossible. So what if we said that you can own a Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa for just a cheap price (by comparison) of 93,000 Euros (~RM461k)?
Enter the Ferrari Testa Rossa J, a 75% scale replica of the iconic 250 TR. And before you lament that it’s “just another replica”, let us stop you right there – this here is a proper Ferrari product, with actual Ferrari engineering work put into it.
It’s made in collaboration with The Little Car Company, the same firm that made the mini Aston Martin DB5 and the life-sized Tamiya Toy Car, but Ferrari says that they’ve led every aspect of the project to make it a “faithful reproduction of the 1957 250 Testa Rossa” – even down to the chassis.
To build the mini race car, Ferrari even went as far as to retrieve the original paper drawings of the 250 TR from the Ferrari Classiche Department. As such, the Testa Rossa J retains the same steering and suspension geometry as the original car, giving it an “authentic handling” feel.
The body work is constructed from hand-beaten aluminium, the same process that was employed in the historical models, and the paint work comes from the same palette as the current Ferrari road car range, as is the Ferrari emblem up front.
Ferrari’s Styling Centre in Maranello, meanwhile, oversaw the overall proportions of the 75%-scale car, and the recreation of all 14 historic liveries that have adorned the original race car.
The interior of the Testa Rossa J is also meticulously recreated detail for detail, including the single leather seat that incorporates the piping motif of the original car. The steering wheel is made by Nardi, the same company that supplied the 1957 model, and even features an actual quick-release system – Ferrari’s smallest-ever.
Behind the steering wheel are the same classic dials, featuring the original design and fonts. But because the Testa Rossa J will be electrically-powered (does this make it the first fully-electric Ferrari?), the dials have been reworked to display relevant information such as battery and motor temperatures, regenerative braking, and battery reserve levels.
The Ferrari Testa Rossa J is powered by three batteries, with power sent to the electric motor at the front of the car. Ferrari claims a driving range of approximately 90 km, depending on your driving style of course.
There’s even a ‘Manettino’ switch that offers a choice of four driving modes – Novice (1 kW output, max speed of 20 km/h), Normal (4 kW / 45 km/h), Sport, and Race mode (“over 60 km/h”). Also taken from an actual Ferrari car are the pedals, which were borrowed directly from the F8 Tributo.
Despite being based on a race car made in 1957, Ferrari says that they’ve thoroughly modernised the Testa Rossa J for the 21st century, with reinforced metal side panels and an optional roll bar for enhanced safety. The original drum brakes are replaced by Brembo disc brakes, and there’s also an actual functioning hydraulic handbrake.
The tyres are even supplied by Pirelli(!), fitted onto the hand-made 12-inch wire wheels. Suspension meanwhile is taken care by Bilstein coilover dampers with custom springs, which were fine-tuned and signed off by Ferrari’s test drivers at the Fiorano test track. Are you convinced that this is an actual Ferrari yet?
Ferrari says that the Testa Rossa J is designed to be driven by anyone over the age of 14, although it’s not homologated for road use anywhere in the world. But if you can afford a 93,000 Euro toy, you probably can also afford to build yourself a mini race track.
Only 299 units of the mini Ferrari 250 TR will be built, so act quick, before they inadvertently increase in price, just like the actual car.
GALLERY
