Hi All, I've been reading this forum for a long time but this will be my first post. I've been eyeing the TR market for about a year and this week I was finally able to manage my first test drive on an 87. I wanted to post my experience and driving impressions and see what you all think about them when compared to your own experiences. I also hope my raw experience/thoughts can help other prospective TR buyers looking for more information about the cars. Lastly I am interested in discovering people's impressions on pre-88.5 cars versus later model years and if they are appreciably different. So please send any comments my way! Car introduction - I own a 2014 Lotus Evora S and a 1981 Porsche 928 if anyone is interested about those. Overall I enjoyed the TR experience. The car I drove just had a recent mechanical overhaul, including its major. The car fired right up on cold start (no throttle necessary) and pretty quickly settled to idle at 1000rpm. The engine sounded great, no odd noises or sounds. The car idled for about 5 minutes before being shut off while I chatted with the Salesman and he grabbed a plate. The salesman drove first but I don't think he let the car warm up like i've read you're supposed to. He pushed the car fairly quickly out of the gate and I noticed he managed 2nd gear, which I didn't think you were supposed to do until oil is fully warmed. Anyway, he probably drove for about 10 minutes before pulling over and we swapped seats. Getting in the driver's seat wasn't a big deal (the Evora is tougher!) and I'm 6 foot 1. I did have to push the seat all the way back to feel comfortable. The offset driving position didn't bother me at all and I think the claims I've seen in videos or read elsewhere are overblown. The brake and clutch pedal positioning felt fine but I was surprised the gas pedal felt closer to me than I wanted it to be. That took some getting used to. Overall I felt pretty comfortable in the car, the visibility was good. I did notice the no power steering effect but it didn't bother me, it just took some getting used to. Some things I really liked - - the sort of endless power band and the acceleration - even though the car is not fast by modern standards, it still felt fast - the car feels like it wants to operate in the higher rpms and feels very comfortable there - the engine sound - awesome! and I didn't even pass 80 mph - the suspension and ride felt good - the gated shifter and lever action Some things I didn't like - - the braking seemed really soft and felt like it took too long to engage until the last minute - is this a TR thing or just the car I drove? - the handling - i didn't get to experience the handling like I wanted to. For one thing, we went right outside the dealer on a pretty busy road that was mostly straight. I did get to merge on and off a highway ramp but when we did, I felt like I had to slow down more than I wanted to to feel in control of the car. Unfortunately, I didn't get to experience the car on any curvy roads. - I had a hard time getting into 2nd, even with the car warmed up, without applying some gas to do it - this is not common right? Could it be a sign of bad synchros? Thanks for reading, and I look forward to comments. Enjoy your Saturday (or whatever day it is for you)!
nice writing and first impressions driving this car 87? so central wheel lock and 2 outside mirrors? your likes are ok, and the engine likes rpm over 4000 your dislikes: brakes: you may not compare with newer cars and also not with your evora s ( look at the weight then you know ) second gear is a problem of adjustment when you have this problem only when upshifting, when downshifting also then it seems to be the synchros you may drive the car on curvy roads, then you get more comfortable to the car. the faster - the better. like a train on rails when you feel you have to slow down you not even have reached 50 % of this what you can do with this car you always may remember: the car is 34 years young
Some things I didn't like - - the braking seemed really soft and felt like it took too long to engage until the last minute - is this a TR thing or just the car I drove? For a 180+ mph car, the brakes are marginal for track use. On the street, they are way more than adequate. As long as the brakes feel solid... no worries. - the handling - i didn't get to experience the handling like I wanted to. For one thing, we went right outside the dealer on a pretty busy road that was mostly straight. I did get to merge on and off a highway ramp but when we did, I felt like I had to slow down more than I wanted to to feel in control of the car. Unfortunately, I didn't get to experience the car on any curvy roads. This is not a ‘tossable’ car for track use. Weight bias is relatively high and rearward. Again, for street use it handles great. It will not snap into oversteer and does not plow like a pig. It is a well balances GT. - I had a hard time getting into 2nd, even with the car warmed up, without applying some gas to do it - this is not common right? Could it be a sign of bad synchros? Sounds normal. You’ll need to get the tranny warm before making a judgement. Watch your temps... for example, water gets to temp in maybe 5-10 minutes. Oil takes 10-20. Tranny takes 20-30. If you have not driven for 30 minutes in warm weather, 2nd can offer some stiff resistance. I have yet to hear of synchros going bad. Adjustment is a common issue. A full clutch release issue sometimes pops up on this board. If you want a play car... the front engine vette is a great choice. You can thrash it at a relatively low cost and it is as fast as all stink. If you want a more satisfying ‘driving experience’... it is very, very hard to beat the Testarossa. Every drive is an ‘event’ - it never gets old.
Seems like you found a nice one did you check if ac and heater work properly ? On the second gear using redline fluid solves a lot of that concern I go into 2nd with mine with no problem at start up happy hunting for the right tr
Thanks. It is a nice one but has a shady background. The dealer says there's a mark on the carfax but they don't believe it to be accurate having had the body panels off and the engine out they see no signs of an accident. However, I asked for pictures of the restoration work and also asked for the service records, neither of which they have produced yet. That has me a little nervous. Also the car inside is not perfect - the leather seats were just redyed and there are some imperfections on other parts of the interior. The ac does work and blows cold, I did not check the heater. Thanks for the advice on the redline.
Is that the Ferrari dealer one? Great dealer , great sales rep but if that’s the car which was a total loss pass and pass. Ull never be able to resale something with a mark with ease. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Welcome ! From my 20+ year experience as an owner to address the things you didn’t like 1) braking, should stop on a dime. Should not be spongy or delayed to grab unless you did 5 fast laps around a track. Which it sounds like you didn’t - need new brakes and rotors 2) second gear should only feel a little notchy the first few miles, only if the car has been sitting for an extended long period. Plenty of new oils out there that should fix that issue. Shouldn’t be hard to shift in second at all. Notchy, not difficult. Did you hear or get any crunchy? If you had to shift slow, that maybe a deeper issue with the gearbox 3) your slow down , I would check the tires and how old they are. No reason to “slow down” on a TR around corners or bends. Now, it’s not gonna handle like a new sorts car - but for a 35 yrs old car - it will handle with enough confidence with new tires where you have to be driving stupid crazy to get the front to under steer. all and all, sounds like minor update issues..... you didn’t mention any clutch issues, so I assume that and power were to your liking good luck
LOL, how many times have we all heard this from a seller......I bet this wasn’t their opinion when they bought the car.
The one thing about the older Ferrari's (my 1986 328 GTS is similar) is that they do not like low revs when shifting. I find that with the 328 if I am above 3200 rpms, all shifting is smooth, below that it is stiff and harsh. With the Testarossa, it is very happy at 3500 rpm or higher - problem is in 2nd gear what will break most municipal speed limits. Rev matching is the other option, as mentioned above.
I really agree with the OP's comments here. Its a 1980's car. You can't compare it to the present day. But the motor and gearbox are just wonderful and so unique from today. You drive classic cars to get that classic feel you can't get anymore. That's the point, and that's why they are so loved by their owners.
I already did that, and I love it. FYI, it is a piece of cake in a 512TR, and a complete pain in the ass for a testarossa!
