Ferrari Testarossa Cabriolet Lorenz & Rankl

The Testarossa Spider by Pininfarina

 Ferrari manufactured a single Spider in 1986 as a gift to the then Fiat boss Giovanni Agnelli on the occasion of his 20th company anniversary (photo below). The silver vehicle had an electric soft top that disappeared under a fixed cover. It was built by coachbuilder Pininfarina, where the regular coupés were also manufactured. The special model quickly became very admired, but despite great interest and a number of enquiries, Ferrari refused to make any more open-top cars for customers. In 1990, Pininfarina also built around five "Special Production" Testarossa Spiders for the royal family of Brunei. In particular the Agnelli example inspired several coachbuilding specialists to develop conversions for Ferrari's top model as an alternative.

The Testarossa Cabriolet by Lorenz & Rankl 

The best and most engineered conversion is probably the cabriolet version by the coachbuilder firm Lorenz & Rankl (now LR Fahrzeugbau) in Wolfratshausen, Bavaria, which was presented at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1988. Extensive reinforcements in the A and B pillars as well as in the door sill and front engine compartment plus a new windscreen frame give this open Testarossa the same torsional rigidity as the closed coupé, according to the manufacturer. The fabric roof is held in shape by several bows and folds completely into a soft-top box behind the seats. The specially designed aluminium roof box cover has been harmoniously and functionally aligned with the new flat bonnet. Visually, this is the best fitting solution compared to other open Testarossa conversions. The closed soft top also echoes the silhouette of the coupé with two lateral ‘fins’ extending to the rear on the left and right (rear roof stabilisers). In addition, there were new door and triangular windows instead of one-piece glass, as well as a fan to keep the rear window free of condensation when the soft top was closed. The conversion only added 30 kilograms in weight, and the driving performance was said to be on a par with the coupé. The high effort of this careful and well-thought-out convertible conversion had a corresponding price tag of 124,000 Deutschmarks at the time. This was around half the price of the new Testarossa coupé, which had to be purchased or already owned as a base model. In total, only five to six cabriolets (depending on the source) left the Lorenz & Rankl factory.

This motor car

This Testarossa was delivered new as a coupé in January 1989 via the Ferrari general importer Charles Pozzi in Paris to the authorised dealer Garage Palace in Cannes. Various delivery documents (copies) are available. On the Côte d'Azur, the car then came to its first owner (name known) in Cannes, who had it registered on 22 February 1989. He then presumably had the Testarossa converted into a convertible by Lorenz & Rankl at the end of 1989 or in 1990. This can be seen from an expert report drawn up in February 1991, which confirms the conversion of the vehicle into a convertible and its as-new condition. The report also shows that, despite a change of registration in May 1990, the car still belonged to the first owner, who had probably re-registered it to a (or his) company in Paris. In April 1993, the car was re-registered to another owner (name known), also in the Paris area. From May to June 1997, the sports car was briefly owned by a banking institution (name and registration available). In June 1997, the car moved to its next owner (name known), again in Paris. The car then remained with him for a whole 18 years. This owner had the importer Charles Pozzi confirm in February 1998 that the car was originally delivered new as a coupé. For October 2015 an invoice from a Ferrari workshop for a good EUR 8,000 for service work and various repairs is available. One month later, the Testarossa Cabrio changed hands (name known) once again in the Paris area. Copies of the registrations are available for all ownerships in France. In January/February 2018, the Testarossa Cabriolet then reached its penultimate owner in northern Germany via a dealer in Paris. In the course of this, the car received a further service in a specialised workshop in France. The original purchase contract and the TÜV documents for the German registration are available. 

Various invoices from a specialised Ferrari workshop in the Hamburg area state service work and various minor repairs for the following years, in total a good EUR 9,000. This also includes new tyres and a complete renewal of the soft top. The current owner, also in northern Germany, finally acquired the Testarossa Cabriolet in September 2023. At this point it underwent an inspection and the timing belt, V-belts and various gaskets (including valve cover gaskets) were replaced. The car also received a new clutch and various minor repairs and maintenance work. The invoices for this amount to around EUR 9,500. The current owner had a replacement service booklet issued by the specialist workshop that has been looking after the car since 2018, which documents the maintenance work in Germany. The engine of this Testarossa is "matching numbers" and the colour scheme in red with black leather interior corresponds to that of the delivery. The complete known ownership history since delivery and a documented service history over the last ten years also speak in favour of this exceptional sports car. This is a truly rare opportunity to acquire what is probably the best and highest quality variant of an open Ferrari Testarossa. With probably only five cars manufactured, this is a genuine small series. Moreover, it was probably the fastest open-top sports car in the world at the time. An ultimate, exclusive "special edition" of the Testarossa for a high-quality Ferrari collection, in which many highlights from Modena are already parked.