The cases when a Ferrari Testarossa needs some serious introduction are rare, and this is one of them… unique, I would say. That’s because we’re looking at what is reportedly the only green—the actual color is Verde Chiaro Metallic—Testarossa in the world.
Back in the 1980s, when the Prancing Horse was preparing the Testarossa, mid-engined Italian machines still had a lot to work on in terms of refinement. Sure, most people remember the model for its cheese grater side intakes, pop-up headlights, and pop culture presence.
But Maranello actually designed the Testarossa to fill in some practicality gaps in the game of its predecessor, the Berlinetta Boxer (have you seen this outrageous slammed, twin-turbo 512 BBi Koenig Special?). You know. minor bugs like the cabin getting incredibly hot and luggage space forcing owners to only travel with their wallets.
The mid-mounted 4.9L flat-twelve, with its 385 hp, delivered top performance for the era (0-62 mph in 5.2s and a 180 mph top speed). And it was just as important that, as the Throttle House review embedded here shows, driving a Testarossa meant you wouldn’t feel like going for a workout, the kind of driving experience provided by the Lamborghini Countach. What do you know? An ex-Rod Steward 1989 Countach 25th Anniversary recently crossed the auction block.
This 1985 Ferrari Testarossa packs 62,000 km (38,500 miles), which means somebody enjoyed the thing. And, given the extreme rarity of its exterior hue, that’s a bit surprising.
This is probably the only Testarossa (the name means redhead, by the way) that left the factory in Verde Chiaro Metallic. Yes, you may have seen this other car finished in the said color on Reddit, but that’s the 512TR, the heavy revision that landed in 1991.
The green Testarossa is currently in Japan
And if the exterior hue isn’t eccentric enough to see people taking out their smartphones for some social media material, the striking red interior is here to help.
The condition of the vehicle isn’t mentioned, but we can tell you that while an “average” Testarossa trades hands for about $130,000 these days, standout examples have broken the $300,000 barrier over the past couple of years.
The green Testarossa is listed by Stacked Exports, a cars and parts exporter based in Osaka, Japan. However, as the “plates” in the photos indicate, the vehicle is held by La-Sserre cars.
This is a used vehicle dealer based in the country’s Shizuoka Prefecture. The latter doesn’t have a website or a social media page, but you can contact them via email ([email protected]) or by phone (090 5117 5989, as mentioned by third-party platform carsensor). However, some companies of the sort don’t sell directly to individual customers, at least not outside Japan, so you may still need to talk to Stacked Exports about it.
It’s worth mentioning that while you can still order a Verde Chiaro Metallic finish via Ferrari’s current Tailor Made customization program, this remains a rare option.
