Photo credit: The Kyza
Khyzyl Saleem, the digital artist known online as the_kyza, has given the new Ferrari 849 Testarossa a second life. His unofficial redesign takes the modern plug-in hybrid supercar and reshapes it so it feels like a natural continuation of the original mid-1980s Testarossa rather than a clean break from the past.
Ferrari revived the Testarossa name for its latest 2-door Berlinetta and convertible, the Type F173M, which succeeds the SF90 Stradale. While the genuine thing looked incredibly modern, several old-school Ferrari aficionados were disappointed with how little it resembled the classic. That was a gap Saleem was eager to fill.
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He began by taking the 849’s aggressive design and infusing it with some of the old-school Testarossa attitude, pulling inspiration from the SP3. He then reconstructed the surface elements so that the car resembled the legendary Testarossa. Long side air intakes were a given, but this time in the iconic ‘cheese grater’ design, and who can forget the rear strakes, which have returned to their rightful place on the tail. Even the wheels have gone retro, with vintage-styled HRE 505s that somehow blend in seamlessly. He even went so far as to install pop-up headlights (which are no longer permitted on production vehicles) before switching to pop-down units that are similar to those seen on the Eccentrica V12 Roadster, but with a modern twist to keep them road legal.
The car’s first public appearance was in classic Ferrari red, but Saleem later opted to change things up with a bright yellow paint job and exposed carbon fiber on the body package for an extra touch of high performance flare. The end product is a 360-degree film that allows you to get up close and personal with the completed concept from all angles.
The idea isn’t just a nostalgic exercise for the sake of it; the 849’s modern proportions and aggressive posture remain, and the overall shape shouts ‘Ferrari’. The mindset has shifted. The side intakes, rear end, and lights combine to form a bold profile that should have been recognized on the streets in the 1980s and 1990s (remember the 512 TR and F512 M?), instantly recognizable and iconic.
Saleem has stated that he prefers the 849 as is, but he was interested in exploring other choices, and this one seemed to give the Testarossa badge credit. It’s also an interesting time for Ferrari, with the new all-electric Luce sedan raising questions about the brand’s future direction. This reinvented 849 gives enthusiasts something to be excited about: a car that looks like it might have come off the assembly line in the mid-1990s, but with all of Ferrari’s contemporary technology.
