Now There’s a Licensed, 3/4-Size Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa for Fancy Kids
The Testa Rossa J looks great, and frankly we’re jealous of anyone small enough to fit inside.
The Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa is a one of the most esteemed classics from the Italian automaker. Having won 18 races, including victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring, the 1000 km Buenos Aires and a stunning four wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, it remains a towering legend to this day. With prices out of reach for all but the wealthiest, it's a car few will ever get to drive. Fear not, however, for the Little Car Company is building a series of tiny, officially-sanctioned replicas by the name of the Testa Rossa J.
The 3/4-sized recreation is done in partnership with Ferrari, believe it or not, and aimed at child drivers, or perhaps childish drivers too. The Testa Rossa J packs a 12 kW all-electric drivetrain, with an estimated top speed of 37 mph. Built from original drawings sourced from the Ferrari Classiche department, it aims to be as faithful a replica as possible. With a 10-foot-long, hand-beaten aluminum body, original-grade paint, Brembo disc brakes, Pirelli tires and even a real Ferrari badge, it's clear that the Little Car Company isn't messing around when it comes to quality. Only 299 examples of the Testa Rossa J will be built, with no word as to the price at this stage. Without a doubt, it'll still be pricey, but a hair more obtainable than an original Testa Rossa, which sell for north of $30 million these days.
The car comes with four selectable driving modes—Novice, Comfort, Sport, Race, somewhat aping real Ferrari vehicles. In Novice mode, power and speed are limited to just 12 mph and 1 kW respectively. Sport and Race mode ramp that up to a full 12 kW and unlock the full 37 mph top speed. The modes are selected with a Manettino switch just like in Ferrari's modern cars like the 812 Superfast. Thankfully, its high-power modes can be disabled to stop little Enzo or Enzina from hitting highway-ish speeds before they've properly learned to walk. If you're intending to raise the next Gilles Villeneuve, after all, you want to start them young.
The interior features a removable Nardi steering wheel for easy entry, and the leather is the same as used on full-size Ferraris, so you know it's good. There's reportedly room for an adult to sit inside, though likely just as a passenger, with the driving position more suited for children only.
The car comes with fully working headlights, brake lights, and horn, and a remarkably complete dash as well. We have no reason to believe that it'll be road legal, which of course raises the question of where you would actually use such a vehicle. Based on the photos on the website, it's likely intended for spirited drives around the family estate or vineyard. There are also references to racing the car against other vehicles from The Little Car Company like the Bugatti Baby II.
Colors of the exterior and interior can be customized with the online configurator—of course there's an online configurator—but only to a certain degree. Color combinations are strictly locked down to avoid your child making the wrong selection. It's not exactly surprising, as if your children are going to be de facto brand ambassadors among their peers, they need to be making Ferrari look good. It also precludes uppity automotive journalists from intentionally designing an awful paint scheme for a laugh. For vintage racing enthusiasts, a variety of historic liveries are available that celebrate the model's sporting history, too. With that said, we doubt many kids out there remember the 250 Testa Rossa's racing heyday almost 70 years ago.
These tiny sports cars are becoming more of a thing lately, it seems. As for the Testa Rossa J, it looks absolutely exquisite and we would kill for the chance to have a go. We do love tiny cars, after all. It's also impressive that it's authentic enough to score a real Ferrari badge from a company that is usually pretty uptight about where they end up. It's just a shame that most of us on the staff would probably struggle to fit. If you're lucky enough to find one of these under your (presumably gigantic) Christmas tree this year, enjoy it, and try not to run over the family dog.
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