Ferrari F512M: Showpiece of the Week

More than 20 years after it was replaced, is now the 512M's time to shine?

In the exalted history of Ferrari supercars, the F512M tends to be overlooked. Which, judged purely objectively, seems rather bizarre. After all, this was the last version of the iconic - and they really were iconic - Testarossa cars, the last flat-12 Ferrari (they certainly aren't returning) and the last mid-engined, production Ferrari with 12 cylinders. The only other Maranello products with 12 cylinders behind the driver since the 512M's introduction have been the F50, Enzo and LaFerrari.

Furthermore, only 501 of these cars were ever made, with just 75 in right-hand drive and 41 UK cars. Bear in mind the entire Enzo production run was 400 cars and you get some idea of how rare a 512M is. This car represents the 80s Testarossa excess taken to its zenith and - as a final and tricky to substantiate point - now should be the time for the 512M to be appreciated. Think about it; those born in the mid-80s would have been impressionable kids when this car emerged, and now in their early 30s. If life has gone well for them - really, really well, granted - then it's the supercar pin ups of their childhood that'll surely be in demand.

And yet despite all that, and despite this car's asking price being comfortably in excess of £200,000, how many people are rendered giddy with excitement at the prospect of a 512M? At a guess, we'd wager not that many. Why is that?

The 512M was of course replaced by the 550 Maranello, a fine car and a resurrection of the front-engined Ferrari lineage that now culminates in the outrageous 812 Superfast. There's an argument to say that the 550 is perhaps more significant and more memorable in the Ferrari history than the last TR. Speaking of which, perhaps the very fact it isn't a Testarossa might make the 512 less desirable to some eyes, despite being the newer, faster, more capable car. Amazing what a starring role in Miami Vice and those early Monospecchio cars can do for a reputation.

Maybe it's simply that, by the time of the 512M's introduction in 1994, the slats and split rims thing of the 80s had passed. The F355 was introduced the same year, the F50 was imminent, and the 512M was maybe seen as a supercar from a bygone age. Has time helped its cause? The 90s are back in fashion, after all...

More to the point, those who covet a F512M won't find many better than this. It's in perhaps the best mid-engined Ferrari colour scheme of Rosso Corsa with Crema hide and carpets, the mileage is sensible enough - 38,000 - that a few more could be added without feeling too guilty, and the cambelt has just been done with the most recent service.

For £230,000, one is of course not short of classic Ferrari choices. Nobody needs reminding that a 512M would have been markedly more affordable not long ago. Still, for a Testarossa collection that needs completion, or those with a particular penchant for 90s' supercars, it's as fine an example of the breed you're like to find. Is there a space in your fantasy garage for it?

See the original advert here.