Nope, This Ferrari Testarossa's US Flag Livery Isn't A Wrap

Neatly coinciding with Independence Day, an online auction at Bring a Trailer for a distinctive US flag-liveried car went live. A US flag-liveried Italian car, no less.

This Ferrari Testarossa was originally finished in white, a lesser-seen hue for the mid-engined supercar, before the previous owner had it repainted to feature the Stars and Stripes. Yep, you read that correctly - this isn’t a wrap. At least it appears to be a pretty decent paint job judging by the photos.

Eye-catching bodywork aside, it’s as-per any other 1989 Testarossa. Mounted in the middle is a 4.9-litre you’ll hear referred to as either a 180-degree V12 or a flat-12 (it’s technically not a boxer engine as each pair of opposing pistons share a crankpin), driving the rear wheels via a five-speed gated manual gearbox.

The 12-cylinder unit is good for 380bhp, making a 180mph top speed possible. That’s not a particularly noteworthy figures these days - only a few weeks ago we were talking about a new Audi RS3 with an identical power figure and a smidge more power. Back in the late 1980s, though, this was up there with some of the fastest cars around.

A picture of the original invoice shows initial delivery was to Walnut Creek Ferrari in California, with the retail price at $145,580, the equivalent of a whopping $315,000 in today’s money. Its first owner came along in 1990, keeping hold of the car up until 2021. In that time, a mere 6000 miles were clocked. Understandable, really - 80s supercars aren’t exactly daily driver material.

Its most recent keeper certainly didn’t hold back when it came to maintenance. In the service history file is a $7300 trip to Pocono Sportscar in Shohola, Pennsylvania. The majority of that cost is the labour for changing the timing belt - it’s a tricky, engine-out job. At the same time, the Testarossa received new bonnet struts and fresh engine bay insulation.

Inside, other than a little bolster wear on the driver’s seat, the tan leather interior looks to be in great condition. In place of the original audio system is a more recent (but still pretty old) Alpine CD changer head unit, neatly hidden in a dashboard compartment to prevent an anachronistic look. The Testarossa also includes what look to be the original Ferrari-branded floor mats.

At the time of writing, the bidding was at $60,000 with six days to go. Judging by recent Testarossa auction results, we’d expect that figure to rise beyond $150,000 - it’s only a respray from being a very fine example of the breed, after all. And who knows, maybe there’s a potential owner out there happy to keep the incongruous Stars and Stripes.