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Testa Rossa is a legendary name in Ferrari folklore. For decades, the name has been used by memorable models, most notably the iconic 1980s Ferrari Testarossa, a bona fide poster car for millions. And the origins of the name date right back to 1957, and an enforced rule change in sports car racing. The Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa was borne through an upcoming change in rules for the World SportsCar Championship.
For 1958, cars would be required to use 3.0-liter engines. Canny Enzo Ferrari anticipated this and ordered the development of a 3.0-liter V12 sports car. It first raced at the 1957 Nurburgring 1000km event, where it finished in the top 10.
The 250 Testa Rossa was a development of the successful 1956 500 TR. Here, the 500 name followed tradition of referring to the cylinder capacity – the engine was a 2.0-litre four-cylinder. Designed by famous Ferrari engineer Aurelio Lampredi, the engine was the first Ferrari four-cylinder and was originally designed for use in Formula Two cars, and later, the Ferrari 500 Mondial sports car.
It was to signify the more powerful evolution of its predecessor, the 500 Mondial, that the cylinder heads (testa) were later painted red (rossa): 500 Mondial became 500 TR. This tradition was carried over to the 250 Testa Rossa. The cam covers of the V12 engine wore bright red paint, and a legendary team of drivers was recruited to send the name into Ferrari folklore. The first success came early on in 1958, the car’s first full season of racing.
Phil Hill and Peter Collins triumphed in the 1000 Kilometres of Buenos Aires, quickly following this up with victory in the 12 Hours of Sebring – and they won ahead of other 250 Testa Rossa racers in that event. That was only the beginning of the car’s successes, too: later in the year, the Testa Rossa won the Targa Florio event, and then took a famous first victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
When Ferrari built the first 250 Testa Rossa
in 1957, it was the fastest thing on Earth.
It won dozens of international races,
including three at Le Mans between 1958 and
1961.
This was a machine built for pure
performance. Only 21 were ever made. And
because of it's high performance and extreme
rarity - one Testa Rossa recently sold for
$16,390,000.
That’s a world record.
