The new Ferrari 849 almost wasn't called Testarossa

When it was unveiled on September 9, 2025, the Ferrari 849 Testarossa immediately struck a chord. Not only because of its technical specifications - a 1,050 hp V8 twin-turbo hybrid - but also because of its name. Four syllables steeped in history: Testarossa. A heritage so heavy that it could have escaped Ferrari. For this supercar almost never bore its mythical name.

A name closely linked to Ferrari

Since 1957 with the 250 Testa Rossa, and above all with the 1984 berlinetta, "Testarossa" has become inseparable from the prancing horse. In Italian, it means "red head", in reference to the cylinder head covers painted in this color. A symbol of an era, a style and a twelve-cylinder engine, the Testarossa has left its mark on the collective imagination to such an extent that its name alone evokes Ferrari, even for the uninitiated.

But Ferrari almost lost everything

And yet, in 2015, the Maranello brand saw its rights to "Testarossa" annulled by the European Intellectual Property Office. The argument? The absence of "real use" of the name for more than five years. The attack was brought by a German businessman, Kurt Hesse, active in toys and miniature cars. According to the law, in the absence of production of a model bearing the name, Ferrari no longer had any reason to retain it. An earthquake: the name "Testarossa" became legally free.

Ferrari strikes back, of course. After a long legal battle, the decision was finally overturned in 2025 by the European Court of First Instance. The manufacturer got its rights back. But Maranello knew it had to secure its future.

The Icelandic trick: the "849 Testarossa" deposit

A few weeks before the car's launch, Ferrari registers a new trademark: "849 Testarossa".. Intriguingly, this deposit is not registered in Geneva or Madrid, but... in Iceland. A legal subtlety. This country, situated on both the European and North American tectonic plates, offers a way of reinforcing rights over two geographical zones. Thanks to this legal trick, the name is protected until 2035, in both Europe and America.

This movement explains why, as early as July 2025, we got the news, discovering this mysterious trademark registration. Some imagined an 849 hp V12, a direct reference to the number. In the end, the 849 Testarossa is powered by a twin-turbo hybrid V8, supported by three electric motors, for a total of 1,050 hp.

What if it had been called something else?

Imagine for a moment that Ferrari had lost the legal battle. The supercar we know today as the 849 Testarossa would have had to settle for another name: 849 GTB and 849 GTS? 849 Superfast? But the question can also be asked the other way round: didn't Ferrari name its car Testarossa just to protect the brand legally?