Ferrari has unveiled the Ferrari 849 Testarossa, a plug-in hybrid berlinetta that takes over from the SF90 Stradale at the top of Maranello’s series range, 2 years after the hardcore SF90XX reveal. The brief is clear: deliver greater performance and repeatability on road and track, without eroding day-to-day usability. Text: Luca W. © Images: Ferrari ©
Powertrain
The centrepiece remains Ferrari’s flat-plane 3,990 cc twin-turbo V8 (F154FC), now rated at 819 HP at 7,500 rpm and 842 Nm at 6,500 rpm, a 50 CV gain over the SF90 version at identical displacement.
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The uplift comes from deep hardware changes: redesigned cylinder heads and block, reprofiled valvetrain, new exhaust manifolds with larger diameters and longer runners, low-friction, higher-capacity turbochargers with improved thermal shielding, optimized compressor/turbine aero, and a more effective intercooling circuit. Weight is trimmed across rotating and fastened parts with machined camshafts, titanium fixings, improving the engine’s mass-to-power ratio by nearly 10% versus SF90.
Borrowing calibration logic from the SF90XX, upshifts under load carry a more pronounced “racing” signature without resorting to artificial theatrics.
Augmenting the ICE is a three-motor hybrid layout: a single MGU-K on the rear axle and two independent e-motors on the front axle for a combined 220 CV of electric assistance. The system output, with the Typo F124 engine, is 1,036 HP, routed through an 8-speed dual-clutch gearbox and an on-demand e-4WD, with torque vectoring on the front axle. The Testarossa can be fully silent for 25 km, thanks to the electric drive coupled to a 6.49 kWh battery.
Chassis and vehicle dynamics
Ferrari’s headline here isn’t a single component but the integration layer. The Ferrari 849 Testarossa debuts the brand’s most advanced FIVE (Ferrari Integrated Vehicle Estimator) in a range model. FIVE builds a real-time “digital twin” of the car from six-axis acceleration and wheel-speed inputs, estimating vehicle speed to within ~1 km/h and yaw angle to within ~1°. Those estimates feed traction control, the e-diff, front-axle torque vectoring and ABS Evo to sharpen responses and, crucially, repeatability.
Braking hardware has been uprated to match the power and speed envelope: larger discs and pads, re-aero’d front disc ventilation and stiffer rear calipers push heat capacity and pedal consistency over a long stint. Suspension kinematics and damper tuning target more immediate primary response and better support at the limit, with a 10% reduction in roll gradient and tangible gains in rear-axle mechanical grip. Ferrari quotes a 3% increase in lateral performance on equivalent tyres versus SF90 and, despite the additional performance content, holds dry weight to 1,570 kg, the best power-to-weight ratio of any series-production Ferrari to date.
For customers who prioritize circuit running, the Assetto Fiorano package remains the sharpest tool. It trims about 30 kg via carbon and titanium parts, introduces Multimatic single-rate dampers and lighter springs (-35% mass), and adds extra underfloor vortex generators. At the rear, the base car’s twin-tail architecture, inspired by the latest F80 and more extensively the FXX K, gives way to paired spoilers with high-incidence profiles and end plates. This triples rear downforce versus the standard arrangement, with only a modest drag penalty.
Exterior design and aerodynamics
Ferrari’s Styling Centre takes a decisive step away from the SF90’s surfacing. The Ferrari 849 Testarossa looks to 1970s Sports Prototypes, notably 512 S/512 M, for its graphic language and the patent-pending “twin tail” rear. The tension is intentional: this car revives a nameplate associated with the flat-twelve icon of 1984, yet it neither mimics that Testarossa nor reads as a retro remake. In stance and sectioning it feels closer to Ferrari’s prototype lineage, and the front treatment, an unapologetically square, full-width fascia linking the headlamps, will divide opinion, echoing themes recently seen on 12Cilindri and F80.
The aero program is substantive rather than decorative. Total downforce increases to 415 kg at 250 km/h (+25 kg vs SF90) while overall cooling performance improves 15%. Beneath the nose, a new underfloor contributes 35% of total downforce; cascading vortex generators deliver a 20% gain versus SF90 by energizing outwash and intake flow.
A multi-level diffuser with suspended lower elements manages wheel-wake and expands flow more efficiently, keeping underbody downforce at SF90 levels while cutting drag by around 10%.
If you came looking for a visual callback to the original Testarossa’s dramatic strakes and wedge, you won’t find them. The 849’s cab-forward stance and squared front graphic prioritize function and brand continuity over nostalgia, closer in spirit to a road-going prototype than to the 1980s poster car.
Interior
The cabin sits between a traditional berlinetta and a single-seater cockpit. A horizontal, “floating” upper dash houses C-shaped vents, with a contrasting band beneath that consolidates primary controls and the passenger display. The central tunnel is simplified and features an F80-inspired gated motif for the transmission selectors, an elegant nod to Ferrari’s mechanical heritage while keeping the working area uncluttered.
Ferrari 849 Testarossa price and units
The 849 Testarossa will be offered in both coupé and spider configurations, with list prices set at €460,000 (≈ $495,000 / £392,000 / CHF 434,000) and €500,000 (≈ $538,000 / £426,000 / CHF 471,000) respectively. Buyers opting for the Assetto Fiorano package will add another €52,000 (≈ $56,000 / £44,000 / CHF 49,000). Deliveries will start in H1 2026.
Ferrari 849 Testarossa wallpapers
