Testarossa to 512TR - differences?

For the last 7 years I've taken the 512TR on a sacred pilgrimage to the gulf coast of the Florida panhandle to reunite with 35 close friends in a men-only vacation of golf, fishing, fine cigars and brotherhood. It's a 7-hour drive each way and I enjoy every minute of the ride. The car is THAT good on the open road. Just try it once and you'll see what I mean.

 

I have owned a Tr and had the opportunity to drive a 512, they are very different cars, one is more seat of pants, the other is more refined if you know what I mean. the power differential is very noticeable.
1 item missed in all the details is the TR has the engine and rear suspension as one bolt on unit which comes out the bottom as per the 348 and 355 etc whereas the 512 the engine comes out the top which IMO is a longer process. This is due to the change in the chassis.

 

I had my 90 TR for 2 months, disliked it greatly - I sold it right when I drove a 512 TR, the difference is amazing. I miss the 512TR, amazing car — looking forward to my next one.

What Brian said also — 100% more car for 40% more money, spot on - IMHO.

 

100% more car ??? ...

 

Brian / Rifledriver knows more about Ferrari's then most anyone on this site, He also owns a TR (I think he still does) - NOT a 512. So his opinion is worth commenting on, mine not so much

 

Uh oh.......................

All I'll say is that the crank is 120º.

Now where did I hear that from???????????

 

A plain old white TR with dark navy interior with just over 1,000 miles IIRC.

He mentioned once in another thread that he didn't care much for the styling of the 512TR but liked the mechanical improvements.. Best to let him chime in on that.

 

Technically the engine is classified as a 180 degree V-12, meaning opposed cylinder configuration using the crankshaft from a V-12. So in the true sense, not really a boxer in the classic terminology which uses a 180 degree crank..

It's in the books, in black and white.









..

 

Good Hunting !

(Photo: me in the 512TR, hunting/chasing an F40 at 250 km/h at German AMG testtrack)
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Man! That would be fun!

 

Assuming the 512 that was not for sale was a customer car, I'd be VERY PISSED that my car was going out on test drives!!!


More on topic:
What's interesting is I have a 360 and some people say drive a 430 and you'll never want to go back to a 360, well the easy answer would be to never drive a 430 then and be happy , but in actuality I am friends with a local Ferrari collector and have driven my 360 right after driving a 458 he had, and I never felt the 360 was bad even after that. Before I had my 360 I drove his 599GTB then my old 911 back to back, now that was a difference!

I agree with the general thought that the 512TR is a "better car" than the testarossa, but the testarossa may be just what you are looking for- variety is what makes the world go round afterall

 

I have a Testarossa and i love it.
Never drove a 512 tr , but assume it´s a lot better than a Testarossa.

In the end , regardless of what model you chose , you will have great fun with it!
That flat 12 is one of the best engines in the world , lots of torque , power , smooth and an amazing sound, i just bought a tubi exhaust for mine!!
You will want to drive it everyday!!

All the best

 

the biggest difference is the letter box on the engine lid on the testarossa
still any tr is the most beautiful car


the 512 tr is by far the hottest car ever built

 

I have been fortunate enough to have owned 3 Testarossas so far, so that fact alone shows how much I love these cars. I agree with most - the 512TR is way more car than the TR. But we must all remember, the Testarossa was Ferrari's flag ship for 6 very good years...and respect must be attributed accordingly. For years I've always thought the changes in shape that resulted in the 512TR were perfect, with no room for improvement. But as the years have gone by...I am starting to change my opinion. The direct frontal shot of the 512TR is very nice indeed, but from the side view...the lower front bumper section does not look "right" with the rest of the car. The rear under-bumper valence panel does not fit very well to the lower rear quarters, I like the TR panel with it's gentle curves rather than the 512TR panels wrap around the exhaust shape. As for the engine deck lid, I like the TR better....it has a slight kick-up at the trailing edge, where as the 512TR carries the uprights from the rear window all the way to the trailing edge. We all know the 512TR has the lower rocker panels in matching body color, but this can result in the car looking "fatter" where as the TR looks more sleek (like Pininfarini originally intended) with the black bottom. As for the interior - true - there is no comparison the 512TR is much better. I guess I would have to say that over the years I have really come to appreciate the original expression that is the Testarossa. There is something emotional about the TR that speaks to me. Oh sure it isn't perfect...it's like a supermodel with a mole here or a scar there....but still it's beautiful. Regarding performance the TR can't compare to the 512TR...but what do we expect????? The 512TR is an upgrade in almost every area. But just remember.....if the TR never was....there would never be a 512TR.

 

Hey CarGuy, pretty fair assessment, especially with your familiarity to both versions.

Similar note - I've always preferred the 328 to the 308. Yet lately a 'cleaned up' Euro 308 QV appears to me as a less clunky, more athletic version of the 328.

Far as the engine lid treatment, can an earlier Testarossa lid be fitted to the 512TR? Just curious.

 

If they didn't change the size/shape or attach points it might. If they were the same on dimensions it could only go in that direction.

I don't think a 512TR lid will fit an older TR because the engine sits higher in the original TR.

Personally I prefer the 512TR engine cover because it doesn't have the raised hump (chicklet) in the middle to break up the flow of the rear deck.

I'm with Carguy on the 512TR interior too, hands down.
I also agree with his assessment of the front end and shape of the overhang plus the blacked out rockers.

I prefer the smoother more blended rear valance of the 512TR over the US version of the TR rear bumper.
The next course of action for me is to remove the US DOT black bumper block from the rear bumper and return it to Euro configuration, very nice looking in it's own right and one I could live with.

.....and I suppose I wouldn't mind the extra 30 HP of the 512TR as well.

 

Yes 30 more horsepower would be great...but I think with some careful modifications and some weight reduction to the Testarossa you could get very close to the 512TR's power. Set up the ignition with the Euro timing, remove all excess weight, rig up a free flowing air intake system, and a free flowing exhaust...and you might gain about 15 or 20hp. The drop gears of the 512TR - if installed in the Testarossa - would make the cars VERY close in performance as far as acceleration. Braking...that's another story though....

 

For now I really don't want to pursue performance advances on mine until I make the decision to upgrade the differential to a single piece forged carrier. Until then I think the available HP is sufficient to break the one I have.

 

Thank you for this informative thread.

 

Great thread
Hope to add more to it in the coming weeks

How isolated we all would be without f chat

I'll say it again
Incredible times we are living in

 

With all the recent posts concerning the 512TR and various posts discussing just the more noticeable differences between it and the Testarossa, I thought I would engage in some necrobumping and resurrect this old thread. Now I look forward to some good pics and gifs deriding the practice of bumping old threads.

 

After moving from a C5 Z06 to a C6 with Z51 I learned an old lesson, that many so called model improvements are to make the guy trade in his old version for a new version. Does a 20% increase in HP and 25% increase in torsional rigidity really increase my performance envelope on the street? The only thing I'd want on my 1st gen TR is the stronger diff/tranny. At least the 512TR still looks like a Testarossa, yeah I said it.
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The performance aspects are not easily detected on the street- true.
The design differences though completely transform the look if the car from a gangly concave 80's looking car to a muscular convex 90's looking car. And THAT visual punch is the reason I bought it instead of the cheaper tr.

 

Hi Ross ... plus a enhanced brake system, better injection system, modern interior ....

In Welcome to Red Headed you can see more of the upgrades ...

O.K. Lloyd ... some photo's of a recent photoshoot ...
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