A Pint-Sized Ferrari Testa Rossa J Based on the 1958 Le Mans Original Is Heading to Auction
You’re strolling the Bonhams auctions at Monterey Car Week, taking in a sea of vintage eye candy. The surrounding sheet metal is luscious, but in the distance something looks off—a gorgeous Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa appears to have been left in the drier a tad too long.
The subscale steed in question is a perfect representation of the Maranello original, and is even licensed by Ferrari. But at 75 percent the size (and with a sale estimate of $90,000 to $120,000), this 2022 Ferrari Testa Rossa J by The Little Car Company represents a fraction of the cost and scale of the eight-figure original. The company’s pint-sized lineup also includes a scaled-down Aston Martin DB5 and Bugatti Type 35.
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If those unmistakable pontoon fenders look pitch perfect, it’s because this specimen was built the proper way: manually, using hand-beaten aluminum panels, just like they did it in the 1950s. It was also developed from the original drawings documented by Ferrari Classiche. Hailing from the UK, nearly every aspect of this particular Prancing Horse is about as authentically evoked as can be. The perfectly scaled 12-inch Borrani-like wheels are wrapped in Pirelli Cinturato rubber; the red seats with white piping use the leather sourced from the same tanneries as used by Ferrari; pedals are plucked from the F8 Tributo parts bin, and the Nardi steering wheel boasts the world’s smallest quick release system. Even the Bilstein coilover dampers were tuned and approved by a Ferrari test driver at the marque’s famous Fiorano circuit near the factory.
The Little Car Company
Rather than replicate a tiny V-12 Colombo engine, the J is motivated by a 48-volt electric motor producing 12 kW. It’s good for a rip-roaring 50 mph, which likely feels like twice that speed given the J’s low-to-the-ground, alfresco setup. Channeling your inner racer is the name of the game here because this particular specimen is configured as an homage to serial number 0732TR, a.k.a. “Lucybelle II,” a private entrant that was driven by Ray “Ernie” Erickson and Pebble Beach resident Ed Hugus and finished a remarkable seventh in the famous California race. (The top spot was taken by Phil Hill and Olivier Gendebien in another Ferrari 250 TR.) In keeping with the authenticity theme, this model’s white and blue-striped scheme uses the same paint as Ferrari applies to its current models.
Linking the original model’s Pebble Beach roots to the modern day, this example adds a “1 of 1—2022 Pebble Beach Edition” plaque to the dashboard, with The Little Car Company donating profits of the sale to the Pebble Beach Company Foundation. A total of 299 Testa Rossa Js will be built, this example enabling the winner to essentially skip the year-long waitlist. And lest you hesitate if the value marches well into the six-figure range, consider that an unrestored 1957 250 TR sold in 2014 for more than $39,000,000—making this miniaturized driver seem like a relative bargain in the grand scheme of things.
Click here to see all the photos of the 2022 Ferrari Testa Rossa J.
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