Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa: The Pontoon Fender Legend

“Testa Rossa” means Red Head in Italian. It refers to the red-painted valve covers on the V12 engine. While the 1980s Testarossa is famous for Miami Vice, the original 1957 250 TR is the true legend.

Design: Pontoon Fenders

The early 250 TRs feature “Pontoon Fenders.”

• The Look: The front fenders are separated from the grille, leaving a massive gap behind the front wheels.
• The Function: This wasn’t for style. It was to help cool the drum brakes (and later disc brakes) during long endurance races like Le Mans.
• Scaglietti: The body was hand-formed by Scaglietti. It is considered one of the most beautiful shapes in human history.

The Engine

It used the same 3.0L Colombo V12 as the 250 GTO, but tuned for endurance.

• Reliability: It won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times (1958, 1960, 1961).
• Power: 300 hp.

Value

The 250 TR is incredibly rare. Only 33 were built (and only 19 were the desirable Pontoon Fender models).

• Price: They rarely come up for sale, but when they do, they fetch $30 - $40 million.