The Ferrari Testarossa occupies a singular place in the canon of 1980s road cars. Unveiled at the 1984 Paris Motor Show as the successor to the 512 BBi, it arrived with a flat-12 engine displacing 4943 cc, 390 hp at 6300 rpm, and bodywork that divided opinion and dominated attention in equal measure. This KK Scale release renders the 1986 production specification in silver — a factory colour that throws the car's sculptural detailing into sharp relief.
The Type F110: Engineering and Design
Ferrari's engineers mounted the flat-12 mid-rear in the Type F110 chassis, a layout that demanded wide rear haunches to accommodate twin side-mounted radiators. Pininfarina resolved the cooling challenge with the car's most distinctive feature: the broad side strakes running the full length of the body. The result was a car 1976 mm wide — a dimension that, along with the 390 hp output and a top speed of approximately 290 km/h, made the Testarossa the reference supercar of its decade. Scaglietti handled body manufacture, as was customary for Ferrari's road cars of the period.
Silver, Side Strakes, and a Cultural Moment
The name Testarossa — Italian for 'red head' — references the red-painted cam covers carried over from Ferrari's 1950s racing engines. That heritage was invisible to the public; the car's fame rested on its appearance. The TV series Miami Vice (1984–1990) gave the Testarossa global exposure that few road cars have ever received. Silver, as a factory-available finish throughout the 1984–1991 production run, is a considered alternative to Rosso Corsa: it foregrounds the geometry of the strakes rather than the drama of red. Approximately 7,177 first-generation cars were built, making the Testarossa one of Ferrari's higher-volume models of the era, yet no less desirable for that.
KK Scale's 1:18 Die-Cast Interpretation
KK Scale reproduces the 1986 Testarossa in die-cast metal at 1:18, the scale at which the car's wide proportions and surface detail translate most effectively. The silver finish allows close inspection of the side-strake geometry and the Pininfarina bodywork in a way that darker colours do not. By 1986, Testarossa production cars wore twin door mirrors — one on each door — a detail change from the earliest examples, and a specification point worth noting for collectors attentive to year-accurate accuracy.
In the Display Cabinet
The Testarossa at 1:18 sits naturally alongside other landmark Ferrari road cars of the 1980s, including the 512 BBi it succeeded and the F40 that followed in 1987. Within a KK Scale collection, it pairs well with contemporary Italian and German road-car releases in the same scale. A silver example also offers a deliberate contrast to Rosso Corsa variants, and to red or yellow 1980s Ferraris, making it a compositionally useful piece for collectors who think in terms of palette as well as marque.
Frequently asked questions
What engine does the Ferrari Testarossa use?
The Testarossa is powered by a mid-rear-mounted flat-12 (Boxer) engine displacing 4943 cc, producing 390 hp at 6300 rpm via a DOHC, four-valves-per-cylinder configuration. Top speed is approximately 290 km/h.
What scale is this model and who makes it?
This is a 1:18 scale model produced by KK Scale in die-cast metal, representing the 1986 Ferrari Testarossa in silver.
Why does the 1986 Testarossa have two door mirrors instead of one?
Early production Testarossas (1984–1985) featured a single centrally mounted mirror. From 1985 onward, Ferrari changed to twin mirrors, one on each door — a detail that distinguishes the 1986 specification reproduced here.
How many first-generation Ferrari Testarossas were built?
Approximately 7,177 first-generation Testarossas were produced during the 1984–1991 production run.
