"The 849 had big shoes to fill, and hasn’t": Frank Stephenson on the new Ferrari Testarossa

Frank Stephenson is a car designer with more hits than the Beatles, including the Escort RS Cossie, first BMW Mini, Maser MC12, numerous Ferraris and the McLaren P1. These days he runs his own consultancy – Frank Stephenson Design. Here he shares his views on the Ferrari 849 Testarossa

Reviving an icon in the car world is a bit like remaking a classic film. If you do it brilliantly, everyone applauds. If you get it wrong, someone on the internet will inevitably shout, “You’ve ruined my childhood!”

To me, Ferrari should embody sensuality, performance, and sophisticated athleticism. This design leans too far into a mechanical, almost industrial design. From the front, there are too many parallel, repeated lines, which makes the car feel static and dull. The designers try to counterbalance that with more fluid surfacing at the corners echoing ’70s sports prototypes, but it ends up reading like two different design philosophies competing for attention.

Overall the proportions are very strong. In profile, the strongest element is the line that connects the front to the rear, giving a sense of continuity. However, the vertical black intake graphic feels arbitrary: it does not connect to anything, and reads like a strap pulling the bodywork upwards. 

It could work if it wrapped around the whole vehicle as a consistent theme, but here it feels isolated. The same issue appears at the rear quarter: the black line running from the rear wing toward the tail-lights feels out of place, and the small vent nearby looks like an afterthought.

Looking at the initial sketches, you can see the car once had a strong theme, especially with a clearer separation between the body colour and a lower carbon fibre zone at the rear, as well as the vertical black stripe connected to the cabin. But the final result fails to capture that early essence.

And there is the name: Testarossa. A name that exudes confidence. Adorned the walls of children’s bedrooms across the globe. Became synonymous with ’80s glamour, bravado and questionable hair styles. It is a car that had all the characteristics to become a cultural icon. The 849 had big shoes to fill, and hasn’t.

Verdict: NOT