It takes quite a bit to catch our attention these days, but when we stumbled upon this ultra-rare Ferrari 512 TR Spider heading to RM Sotheby’s upcoming Monterey Sale, we simply had to find out more!
If you were to look at Ferrari through the decades, each model represents a moment in time for the Italian brand. Through what many recall as the brand’s golden years — the 1950s and 1960s — the cars that left Maranello were design masterpieces, built for only the most stylish of characters and racers alike. In the 1970s, the Berlinetta Boxer reigned supreme, and as the 1980s and 1990s rolled by, the Testarossa quickly became the prancing horse everyone wanted to get behind the wheel of.
By 1990, the Testarossa was in its sixth year of production, and so Maranello’s design team had been tasked to give this now iconic machine a bit of a makeover. From it, the 512 TR was born, and despite sharing many similarities with its predecessor, the new version was expertly tweaked by Ferrari both in terms of styling and engineering. While almost all were coupes, a project led by Alfred Tan of Hong Seh Motors, Ferrari’s official Singaporean dealership, would lead to three unique examples of the 512 TR, sporting no roof and dramatically changing the driving experience.
In 1990, Pininfarina built a handful of ‘Special Production’ Testarossa Spiders for the Brunei Royal Family. Alfred Tan, who was himself a lifelong Ferrari enthusiast with influence at Maranello, coachbuilders Pininfarina, and the Brunei Royal Family, pushed for the creation of the Testarossa Spider project. In 1993, Ferrari built three units of the 512 TR Spider and offered two units to Alfred Tan, which he bought. Tan sold one to a French CEO, while this stunning example, finished in Blu Cobalto, was retained for himself.
While its exterior is a glorious piece of automotive art, the interior is just as stunning. Maranello’s expert trimmers covered the seats with Connolly leather dyed in Blu Scuro, complemented by a Blu carpet. The navy blue convertible roof further supported the all-blue colour scheme, and it’s worth noting that chassis 97310 was the only 512 TR Spider to leave the factory with Blu Cobalto paintwork.
With just three examples in existence, two of which were handled by the very man kick-started the project, it leaves the 512 TR Spider as one of the brand’s most sought-after cars of Ferrari’s late 20th century years. We talk so often of the one-off Ferraris built in period by ambitious coachbuilders during the 1950s, and it seems even in 1990, the idea of creating a jaw-dropping showcase of design was still just as important to some collectors. This incredible Ferrari will go under the hammer at RM Sotheby’s upcoming sale at Monterey, with an estimate ranging from $2,700,000 to a whopping $3,500,000!
