The Incredible E-Testarossa that Richard Rawlings Wanted to Call ‘Test-E’

WORDS AND PHOTOS BY JEROME ANDRE

PAINTED in a hue that could only be described as “ghostly lunar white,” the Testa is a rolling canvas of Mike Coy’s artistic brilliance.

I MAGINE a world where a classic Ferrari purrs absolutely silently. Sounds like heresy, right? Well, hold onto your gated gear knob because Gas Monkey Garage, in cahoots with Legacy EV, decided to turn this wild thought into reality. Meet the “Testa,” a car that looks like it came straight out of a retrofuturistic comic book. It’s what happens when oldschool cool crashes headfirst into the electric revolution.

Gas Monkey Garage, the wizards of car transformations, joined forces with Legacy EV, the conversion vehicle gurus. Their mission? To electrify a Ferrari Testarossa in just 40 days with a budget of $350,000. You read that right—turning a roaring beast into a purring cat without losing its claws.

THE witty custom badging is like the signature at the bottom of this masterpiece.

The story of the Testa begins with Richard Rawlings, the maverick behind Gas Monkey Garage. Known for its hit TV show “Fast N’ Loud,” the garage had always pushed the boundaries of car restoration and customization. However, the Testa project was different. It was a foray into the world of electric vehicles, a territory Gas Monkey had never ventured into before. The idea sparked when Rawlings acquired not one but five Ferrari Testarossas used as screen props in the 2021 film “Infinite,” starring Mark Wahlberg. These vehicles, each with its own story, were about to embark on a transformation journey like no other.

The vision for the Testa was clear: to create a one of-a-kind EV, preserving the Testarossa’s iconic design. To achieve this, Gas Monkey Garage partnered with Legacy EV. The Phoenix-based team brought their expertise in propulsion systems, battery management, and overall electric vehicle dynamics to the table. Their role was to ensure that the Testa was not just an electric vehicle in appearance but a fully functional, high-performance EV.