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The Build |
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You can view the full Ratarossa build story at Ferrarichat.com link below
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Ratarossa.com is HQ dedicated to builds and coverage my Ferrari Testarossa Spider project, unique in that it's a one off 'Rat Look' Ferrari being built on an original 1987 Testarossa coupe that had its roof chopped off and strengthening tubes added to the structure it now is a true 'Spider'.
Using as many of its factory parts as possible to maintain the 80s originality and Pininfarina styling of the Testarossa. Externally the car is very much a rat finish with unpainted bodywork and subtle hints of the Rosso Corsa red colours it left the Maranello factory in still present on some parts.
An ongoing project documented from purchase from California USA thru to present day where is resides in the UK. Evolving as the build progresses with a final goal to have the car mechanically perfect 'under the skin' and maintaining the rat look exterior.
Please join me in following and enjoying the build and feel free to comment and share the site.
Scott
Using as many of its factory parts as possible to maintain the 80s originality and Pininfarina styling of the Testarossa. Externally the car is very much a rat finish with unpainted bodywork and subtle hints of the Rosso Corsa red colours it left the Maranello factory in still present on some parts.
An ongoing project documented from purchase from California USA thru to present day where is resides in the UK. Evolving as the build progresses with a final goal to have the car mechanically perfect 'under the skin' and maintaining the rat look exterior.
Please join me in following and enjoying the build and feel free to comment and share the site.
Scott
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The Ratarossa Build Story
3 years ago whilst searching the web for a obscure car part my search returned this unrelated Ferrari Testarossa located over the pond in California. It was a project car that had been started, the roof had been chopped off and strengthening added to the chassis but other than that it was a rolling shell with an engine and gearbox bolted in place that hadn’t been on the road for well over 20 years. The more I viewed it the more I wanted to take it on. The advert was a few years old but didn’t state it had been sold, I got in touch with the owner and he still had it. We talked in detail about it and I fell for the idea a bit more. I told the seller that anyone else would likely buy his ferrari and break it up for parts as its worth far more in bits. I promised him however that my sole intention would be to get the Testarossa built and put back on the road where it rightfully belongs. I’m very happy to say I have lived up to that promise.
It arrived in the UK a few months later not looking very pretty but accompanied by two huge wooden crates of parts. The fun then began, for a while at the beginning I still owned another Testarossa coupe so was lucky enough to use that car as the blueprint to figure out where the majority of parts around the project were located. When I got stuck I asked other forum owners and gradually over the past couple of years in my spare time I have built the 'Ratarossa’
Why the ‘Rat’ look Ferrari?. Ferrari only made 1 official Testarossa Spider for Agnelli and it’s estimated around 15 Testarossa Spiders subsequently converted by aftermarket companies, making these pretty rare site to see. Its also the car that many believe Ferrari really should have put into production. I grew up in the 80s and the Sega game ‘Outrun’ has a lot of responsibility for my obsession with Ferrari. I started building the ‘Ratarossa’ and during that process it evolved. I went with the flow of the project and as I added parts to the car such as the classic side door air fins in red, I started to realise I wanted to enjoy the build and do something a little different. I have already owned some nice gleaming Ferraris and didn’t want to go the same route with this TR. Part of the enjoyment of this project was that it didn’t have to be perfect being a ‘rat’ look so I just took my time and have had fun with the build. With the two massive crates of parts that came with the car I have been like a kid with a giant puzzle, its been a lot of fun and very satisfying figuring out where each item belongs.
Obviously there have been plenty of ‘head scratching’ moments, Testarossa’s are 30 years old now and the expertise on them has been whittled down to a few guru’s worldwide. I myself have no background or any kind of training in this sort of thing other than a hobby and passion. Therefore in the most part it was on the job learning.
I faced a number of difficulties during the build; Firstly this was a completely unknown task to take on: The engine had not been run in many years, the wiring was missing or not connected. My first job was to hear the engine roar once again. With a bit of luck and a lot and plenty of perseverance, once I had figured out the wiring and installed some major components, eventually I was able to bring the Flat 12 engine back to life. Another challenge I've faced is getting hold of parts. The TR is being well out of production now many parts are no longer stocked by Ferrari, I’ve had to source items from around the world, wherever available. Its amazing with a little time what pops up on these Auction sites around the world. For Example I picked up a brand new original dash in the correct colour for £180 shipped, if Ferrari still made the part the retail figure was over £5000. After buying that part it led me to decide to rejuvenate the rest of the dash. So you see how the project takes a turn and something I hadn’t planned on then gets added into the build list.
Suspension was another massive problem; where the roof had been chopped off to reinforce the cars structure and rigidity, steel bars had been fabricated and welded into the mid section, doing a great job of keeping the car from flexing. However this subsequently created a problem of its own in that the added extra weight from the strengthening bars, causing the front end of the Testarossa to lift right up. The problem with this is that the factory suspension is preset and fixed. In order to resolve the problem I have had to work with a suspension company to create custom coil over shocks and springs tailored from my Testarossa spider. Eventually it took 3 sets of custom springs to be produced to finally achieve the right height I wanted. I have tried hard to use mostly original parts and keep the car as genuine as possible. I like to joke that the
‘Ratarossa’ is an eco car in that many of the parts have been recycled. For example: I had in my box of goodies the original leather head lining from the interior when the car was in coupe form. I then used that piece to make and create new parts unique to the spider such as the upper screen trim and the padding behind the seats on the new rear engine deck lid. Other bits have had to be modified to work on the spider such as the safety belts. Even trying to keep the original luggage straps behind the seats, these had to be anchored differently. However unless you really know your Testarossa's you would never spot these small changes. When I first had the car arrive it was like the ‘Flintstones’ car at the front; there was no floor, wheel arches, carpet etc. Everything had to be sourced and new parts fitted. It now looks really good, the same is planned for the Engine, eventually having a perfectly working mechanical car in pristine condition under the skin, yet clothed in quite the opposite ‘rat’ look.
Having only recently got the car back on the road I have taken it to a couple of events and really enjoy the reaction the car generates, it’s a bit like marmite; you either love it or hate it. It doesn’t bother me either way as I built it to enjoy and have fun with... but it sure draws a lot of attention
3 years ago whilst searching the web for a obscure car part my search returned this unrelated Ferrari Testarossa located over the pond in California. It was a project car that had been started, the roof had been chopped off and strengthening added to the chassis but other than that it was a rolling shell with an engine and gearbox bolted in place that hadn’t been on the road for well over 20 years. The more I viewed it the more I wanted to take it on. The advert was a few years old but didn’t state it had been sold, I got in touch with the owner and he still had it. We talked in detail about it and I fell for the idea a bit more. I told the seller that anyone else would likely buy his ferrari and break it up for parts as its worth far more in bits. I promised him however that my sole intention would be to get the Testarossa built and put back on the road where it rightfully belongs. I’m very happy to say I have lived up to that promise.
It arrived in the UK a few months later not looking very pretty but accompanied by two huge wooden crates of parts. The fun then began, for a while at the beginning I still owned another Testarossa coupe so was lucky enough to use that car as the blueprint to figure out where the majority of parts around the project were located. When I got stuck I asked other forum owners and gradually over the past couple of years in my spare time I have built the 'Ratarossa’
Why the ‘Rat’ look Ferrari?. Ferrari only made 1 official Testarossa Spider for Agnelli and it’s estimated around 15 Testarossa Spiders subsequently converted by aftermarket companies, making these pretty rare site to see. Its also the car that many believe Ferrari really should have put into production. I grew up in the 80s and the Sega game ‘Outrun’ has a lot of responsibility for my obsession with Ferrari. I started building the ‘Ratarossa’ and during that process it evolved. I went with the flow of the project and as I added parts to the car such as the classic side door air fins in red, I started to realise I wanted to enjoy the build and do something a little different. I have already owned some nice gleaming Ferraris and didn’t want to go the same route with this TR. Part of the enjoyment of this project was that it didn’t have to be perfect being a ‘rat’ look so I just took my time and have had fun with the build. With the two massive crates of parts that came with the car I have been like a kid with a giant puzzle, its been a lot of fun and very satisfying figuring out where each item belongs.
Obviously there have been plenty of ‘head scratching’ moments, Testarossa’s are 30 years old now and the expertise on them has been whittled down to a few guru’s worldwide. I myself have no background or any kind of training in this sort of thing other than a hobby and passion. Therefore in the most part it was on the job learning.
I faced a number of difficulties during the build; Firstly this was a completely unknown task to take on: The engine had not been run in many years, the wiring was missing or not connected. My first job was to hear the engine roar once again. With a bit of luck and a lot and plenty of perseverance, once I had figured out the wiring and installed some major components, eventually I was able to bring the Flat 12 engine back to life. Another challenge I've faced is getting hold of parts. The TR is being well out of production now many parts are no longer stocked by Ferrari, I’ve had to source items from around the world, wherever available. Its amazing with a little time what pops up on these Auction sites around the world. For Example I picked up a brand new original dash in the correct colour for £180 shipped, if Ferrari still made the part the retail figure was over £5000. After buying that part it led me to decide to rejuvenate the rest of the dash. So you see how the project takes a turn and something I hadn’t planned on then gets added into the build list.
Suspension was another massive problem; where the roof had been chopped off to reinforce the cars structure and rigidity, steel bars had been fabricated and welded into the mid section, doing a great job of keeping the car from flexing. However this subsequently created a problem of its own in that the added extra weight from the strengthening bars, causing the front end of the Testarossa to lift right up. The problem with this is that the factory suspension is preset and fixed. In order to resolve the problem I have had to work with a suspension company to create custom coil over shocks and springs tailored from my Testarossa spider. Eventually it took 3 sets of custom springs to be produced to finally achieve the right height I wanted. I have tried hard to use mostly original parts and keep the car as genuine as possible. I like to joke that the
‘Ratarossa’ is an eco car in that many of the parts have been recycled. For example: I had in my box of goodies the original leather head lining from the interior when the car was in coupe form. I then used that piece to make and create new parts unique to the spider such as the upper screen trim and the padding behind the seats on the new rear engine deck lid. Other bits have had to be modified to work on the spider such as the safety belts. Even trying to keep the original luggage straps behind the seats, these had to be anchored differently. However unless you really know your Testarossa's you would never spot these small changes. When I first had the car arrive it was like the ‘Flintstones’ car at the front; there was no floor, wheel arches, carpet etc. Everything had to be sourced and new parts fitted. It now looks really good, the same is planned for the Engine, eventually having a perfectly working mechanical car in pristine condition under the skin, yet clothed in quite the opposite ‘rat’ look.
Having only recently got the car back on the road I have taken it to a couple of events and really enjoy the reaction the car generates, it’s a bit like marmite; you either love it or hate it. It doesn’t bother me either way as I built it to enjoy and have fun with... but it sure draws a lot of attention
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