Nothing says 1980s' supercar excess like a Ferrari Testarossa. Well apart from a Lamborghini Countach, of course. And while the perception remains of a scarily fast, brutally intimidating car to drive, here's a little video to prove otherwise...
We're big fans of the Motor Week retro reviews at PH, specifically because they offer the level of dorky detail we expect in modern video features, but featuring old cars. Which, let's be honest, most people tend to be more interested in. Especially when they have 12 cylinders and a manual gearbox.
Beyond graphics and attire that most definitely belong in the 80s, perhaps the biggest surprise of this video is that the Testarossa isn't a total pain in the bum to drive. Or we were all just a bit tougher in 1988. While the gearbox was still described as "bulky" and drivers are advised "not to be gentle with it", it's also apparently a car that shrinks around you as you drive and has steering that's light by exotic cars standards. So there; nothing to be concerned about...
Those used to something like a Lamborghini Huracan will probably still be in for something of a shock driving a Testarossa though, and not just for the effort required. Truth is we've been spoilt in how fast cars have become during the 21st century; in 2018 the Testarossa's 5.5 seconds to 60mph and 13.5-second quarter-mile would be rivalled by a Honda Civic. Today if your supercar isn't somewhere near three seconds to 60mph then it barely even qualifies, so where do we go from here?
Perhaps that's a question to answer another time; the fun in this video is in seeing a Testarossa being driven properly hard just for a magazine, and remembering how relatively simple the supercar used to be. Watch and enjoy!