Testa Rossa J – Like a Ferrari, but Smaller

Do you have a carefree attitude towards money? Do you really, really love your kids? If you’re nodding along enthusiastically then step right up, because Ferrari has just the car for you. Namely this, the new Ferrari Testa Rossa J. The J stands for Junior, because this one is smaller than your average 250 Testa Rossa, if one can call such a machine ‘average’. After all, it was an incredible machine. It led a long life at the forefront of motorsport’s biggest events, racking up 18 victories over its motorsport tenure. It won the championship title in ’58, ’60 and ’61, and it won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in ’58, ’60, ’61 and ’62. A formidable machine, then. But one that is all but impossible to acquire today. The last one that went to auction sold for an alleged $39,000,000.

On that basis then, the starting price of 93,000 Euros for the Testa Rossa J seems like a veritable bargain. And while you get less car for that money, given it’s 75% in scale, it’s no less ‘Ferrari’. The stunning, sculpted body is not a cheap fibreglass facsimile. It is in fact a handmade aluminium affair, beaten into shape in the same fashion as the original. The paint atop said aluminium is plucked from Ferrari’s current range, as is the all important Ferrari emblem on the nose.

And don’t think that this is just a fancy body dropped over the chassis from a golf cart or mobility scooter. This handsome wee sucker is a proper Ferrari, and as such, the chassis is in fact modelled on that of the original car. Engineers pored over paper drawings and translated them into a smaller scale. The suspension and steering geometry is in fact the same as the full-scale machine. And at each corner, you’ll find Bilstein coilover suspension and 12-inch wire wheels wrapped in custom made Pirelli Cinturato tyres. Behind those? Brembo disc brakes. Even the original car didn’t have that! It’s exquisite.

Inside, Ferrari’s Styling Centre has gone to town. There is a special seat, designed to accommodate both an adult and a teen (the car is designed to be driven by persons aged fourteen and up). The seat is made from high grade leather, in keeping with the full-scale car. There is a Nardi steering wheel, naturally. This is mated to a ‘snap off’ boss for quick ingress and egress. The dials are designed to replicate the original car, the pedals are from an F8 Tributo and, well, it feels every bit the proper Ferrari. This isn’t a home-built ‘tot rod’.

Power comes from a far more modern source than the original. Under the swooping body, you’ll find an electric motor delivering power to the rear wheels. Fed by three batteries, it can provide a range of up to 90km, which is perfect for driving round one’s lavish private estate, we imagine. The motor isn’t a simple press and go affair though. There are modes. Novice mode releases 1kW and a top speed of 20km/h, Comfort mode 4kW and 45km/h, while Sport and Race modes up the throttle response and can run at up to 60km/h. A racy little number. See what we did there?

Furthermore, the Ferrari Testa Rossa J offers a wide range of personalization and colour combinations. The Ferrari Classiche department carried out extensive research into all the liveries that have adorned the 250 Testa Rossa throughout its racing career. An online car configurator allows clients to choose from 14 historical liveries, 53 bodywork colours and additional personalized racing liveries, all authentically in keeping with Ferrari style.

As we touched on earlier, this isn’t cheap. But it is incredibly special. Only 299 are going to be made, and given that these little Testa Rossa J cars are a legit Ferrari product, it’s safe to say that the value will never go down. Plus, they’re fun, while also being a beautiful way to remember one of the company’s legends. To quote a Ferrari-borrowing American teenager, “It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.”