A Legendary Ferrari Nameplate Might Be Set to Make a Return

Between the Lamborghini Countach, the Porsche 959 and the BMW M1, the 1980s gave rise to some of the most iconic sports cars in history. And that’s not even considering the many Ferraris that debuted during the decade; along with the legendary F40, the Prancing Horse also put out bangers like the Mondial and the 288 GTO.

Even with such a roster of impressive performance vehicles, few cars managed to capture the moment quite as well as the Testarossa did. Made famous by pop culture appearances in the TV series Miami Vice and SEGA’s Out Run video game, it oozed ’80s cool with its wide stance and striking wedge shape.

Ferrari

While for the past eight years, Ferrari has actually lacked the rights to the Testarossa name, a new trademark filing suggests the automaker might be gearing up to give the model a modern revival.

Trademark trouble

Earlier this month, an EU court ruling finally gave Ferrari the rights to the Testarossa trademark after a string of legal battles. 

In 2015, a German toy company successfully argued that the name had gone unused for more than five years, causing the Italian automaker to lose the rights to its historic moniker starting in 2017.

Ferrari

Despite Ferrari’s continuous appeals to have the decision reversed, the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) upheld the ruling in 2023. It was only after the EU General Court’s subsequent review of the case that the verdict was reversed.

Ferrari’s resale of vintage Testarossa cars and ‘genuine Testarossa parts’ constituted sufficient usage to reclaim the trademark.

Ferrari

Icelandic 849 filing

Now that the Testarossa trademark is safely with Maranello once again, Ferrari doesn’t seem too eager to let the name escape its clutches. As Carbuzz first reported, the Italian automaker recently filed a trademark for the name “849 Testarossa” — in Iceland, of all places. 

It’s worth noting that the filing is not an extension of the original Testarossa trademark. While this means that Ferrari might not use the name for anything more than the protection of intellectual property, the filing does come as part of a string of retro-inspired releases.

Ferrari

Retro is back

Following the launch of the Icona series with the Monza SP1 and SP2 in 2019, the Prancing Horse has continued to pull inspiration from its back catalog. Along with the Daytona SP3, Ferrari has also introduced the Roma, the stunning 12Cilindri and the 296 GTB (not to mention other clear historical callbacks like the F80).

As such, even if said “Ferrari 849 Testarossa” isn’t to become a permanent fixture within the brand’s lineup, there’s clear precedent for a limited run of special, heritage-inspired supercars. 

Moreover, earlier this year, Ferrari confirmed to Australian magazine Car Sales that its gated manual transmission could feature in future releases. A neo-retro Testarossa would offer the perfect setting for such a reintroduction, and it would finally give Ferrari something era-appropriate to fight Lamborghini’s revived Countach.

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