Ferrari 849 Testarossa makes SEA debut in Bangkok

The new Ferrari 849 Testarossa has made its Southeast Asia (SEA) premiere in Bangkok Thailand, just a few months after its global unveiling. 

Replacing the SF90 Stradale at the top of Ferrari's product lineup, the new 849 Testarossa further pushes the envelope on performance. 

Powering the car is still a twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 paired with three motors as part of a plug-in hybrid powertrain. The V8 has undergone significant revisions, including the use of the largest turbochargers ever on a Ferrari as well as all-new cylinder heads, engine block, exhaust manifolds and intake plenums, such that it alone can produce 819bhp. Together with the 217bhp sent from the 7.45kWh battery to three electric motors, the system output of the car is a whopping 1,036bhp and 842Nm of torque - the highest ever for a production Ferrari. This allows the car to sprint from 0-100km/h in 2.25 seconds. 

Improved aerodynamics and more power from the V8 engine means that the 849 Testarossa is the quickest-accelerating range model Ferrari

However, raw output numbers is not the car's singular focus. Indeed, in this landscape where 1,000+bhp cars are increasingly available and attainable, Ferrari's focus is also to deliver a highly focused driving experience. As Marco Spessotto, Product Marketing Manager tells us, besides sheer power, the 849 Testarossa is also "about improving lap times and extreme performance while making the driver feel extremely special". (This car is about 1.5 seconds faster around Fiorano than the SF90 Stradale that it replaces.) This of course means that the car needs to be able to better put down all that power to the tarmac. 

Aerodynamics play a key part in maximising performance - in fact the 849 Testarossa achieves the highest level of downforce for a Ferrari production model. The 415kg of downforce generated at 250 km/h is an increase of 25 kg compared to the SF90 Stradale. Cooling efficiency has also been improved by 15% compared to the SF90 Stradale. 

The aerodynamics also distinctly informs the car's design. The front bumper has integrated bumperettes that help increase the airflow to the front air intakes, while the rear of the car features twin-tail architecture inspired by the 512 S, with two wing sections (called twin tail) that generate 10% of the downforce at the rear. There's also an active rear spoiler integrated into the bodywork. And, the doors feature a very prominent duct that helps to channel air to the large intercoolers. 

To help bring all that readily available forward momentum to a halt, the braking system has also been overhauled, featuring both new hardware and software. 

All that performance is regulated via a complex electronics package, headlined by the Ferrari Integrated Vehicle Estimator (FIVE) digital system. FIVE is an estimation system capable of creating a digital twin that replicates the behaviour of the car in real time, based on a simplified mathematical model powered by real measurements. These calculations can then feed into the ABS Evo system, which then allows the car to brake later, harder and in a more repeatable manner. FIVE also helps to improve traction control, electronic differential management and e4WD system delivery. Notably, even with numerous upgrades, the 849 Testarossa weighs the same as the SF90 Stradale, thus resulting in the best power-to-weight ratio achieved by a model in the range. 

This marks the SEA premiere of the new 849 Testarossa, with the car slated to be officially introduced in Singapore early next year

The car's cabin incorporates a number of upgrades first rolled out in the F80. These include the updated HMI housed in the driver dashboard that envelopes around the driver. The lower section of the central dashboard is marked by two architectural sail motifs that hosue the control functions, as well as the F80-inspired gate integrated in a floating position in the sail. And perhaps most relevantly, the same new steering wheel has been introduced for this car, which means physical buttons are back! 

The 849 Testarossa is being introduced to the region in both coupe and spider forms concurrently. Sgcarmart understands that the first demo cars will be available in Singapore in Q1 2026, with first customer deliveries slated to begin in Q3 2026. The 849 Testarossa will be priced at $2,098,251, while the 849 Testarossa Spider will be priced at $2,281,858 (both prices not inclusive of COE and options).