Item Details

• Seller: DolceClassico
• Location: New York City, New York 11372
• Lot #: M-0041315-DT

Available for auction is a large 1:8 scale “Agnelli’s” Ferrari Testarossa Spider by Rivarossi. Ferrari’s flagship sports car throughout the 80s and 90s, the Testarossa features striking bodywork by Pininfarina and was the last Ferrari to be equipped with a flat-12 engine. The Testarossa’s Pininfarina-design bodywork is characterized by its aggressive wedge-shaped profile, side air intakes, pop-up headlamps, and flying buttress pillars flanking the vented rear engine cover.



This model being offered comes complete with an engraved metal engine plaque, Cavallino-embossed floor mats, and a tool kit with the Ferrari inscription on each tool. At the rear, Agnelli’s custom badging and license plate numbers are present: An Italian flag with platinum “I” in the middle, a Walter Bordese logo, and plate numbers “T0 0000G”.



Other equipment includes dual mirrors, front fog lights, a front spoiler, quad exhaust outlets, and 16” single-bolt wheels. The cabin is lined with beige floor mats, door panels, and a felt rear shelf. The driver is situated ahead of a black three-spoke MOMO steering wheel, analog Veglia Borletti instrumentation with orange markings and a gated shifter assembly.



Gianni Agnelli’s status as a style icon in perpetuity goes beyond his watch-over-the-shirt cuffs, rakish ties and Caraceni suits, often worn over hiking boots. He was also a car boss with petrol in his veins and an eye for an idiosyncratic one-off. As the chairman of Fiat, he had the means to indulge his passion for the unusual, variously commissioning a number of leisure-oriented Fiat Pandas, a Fiat 130 Familiare estate, complete with wicker basket on the roof and wood paneling on the body, and an eye-popping Multipla Spider.



But not all of Agnelli’s one-offs were so utilitarian. In 1986, he commissioned a Spider version of the extant Ferrari Testarossa as an appropriate commemoration of his 20 years as the president of Fiat. Ferrari’s archives record work starting on the project on 27 February 1986, completion and delivery following four months later.



Although it was clearly never intended for series production, the Testarossa Spider was rigorously engineered by Ferrari, no mean feat when you consider the challenges of packaging a folding hood around a mid-mounted, 5.0-litre 12-cylinder engine. An extra button was secreted on the dashboard to electronically raise and lower a hoop to keep the soft-top in position.



This remarkable car features a further technical novelty in the form of a unique Valeo transmission, that allowed the driver to use the car either as a regular three-pedal five-speed manual or, at the push of another button, an automatic (the clutch pedal would retract – a similar system would appear on the F40 Agnelli ordered next, and was an ingenious sop to an old leg injury). In 2016, Agnelli’s Testarossa Spider sold at auction for a cool $1,355,531.



Whether you're a passionate Ferrari enthusiast, a collector of automotive memorabilia, or simply an admirer of fine craftsmanship, this superb Ferrari Testarossa Spider by Rivarossi is sure to make a striking addition to any space. The buyer is responsible for shipping, shipping insurance, handling, and transactional fees. 

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Seller: DolceClassico (other listings)

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