Ferrari won the Testarossa name back in court, then made it its flagship again

The Testarossa, produced from 1985 to 1996, was the poster car of the Eighties — a V-12 with 'cheese grater' side strakes whose values have more than doubled since 2020. But the name was nearly lost: Ferrari had registered 'Testarossa' since the 1950s for its race cars, yet in 2023 the head of German toy firm Autec argued to the EU's Intellectual Property Office that Ferrari had made no 'genuine use' of the mark between 2010 and 2015. EUIPO agreed and revoked the trademark on Ferrari's home continent.

Ferrari fought back through the EU courts — a decision that looked like sentiment until its purpose became clear. On 2 July 2025 the EU General Court annulled the revocation: approving sales of used Testarossas through authorised dealers and licensing the name for scale models constituted genuine use, the judges ruled, setting precedent that a legacy brand's trademark stays alive even when tied only to vintage products and collectibles. The rights were reinstated across cars, parts and scale models.

Nine weeks later, the reason was on a stage in Maranello. On 9 September 2025 Ferrari unveiled the 849 Testarossa, successor to the SF90: a plug-in hybrid pairing a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V-8 with three electric motors for 1,036 hp, zero to 62 mph in 2.3 seconds, a 200 mph top speed, and a Fiorano lap of 1:17.5 — a second and a half faster than the car it replaces. Order books opened immediately, with deliveries from 2026 at £407,617.

The gamble was deliberate: Ferrari attached its most evocative Eighties name not to a nostalgic retro car but to its most advanced series-production hybrid — a bet that forty years of affection would sell a forward-looking car. The reception split the room, which was exactly what a company with a slowing halo needed: attention.

EU trademark reinstated in July 2025; by September the 849 Testarossa (1,036 hp, Fiorano 1.5s faster than the SF90, £407,617) had order books open before deliveries began

The legal strategy treated the trademark as a live asset: dealers' second-hand sales and model-car licensing were preserved as evidence of use, keeping the claim defensible.

Challenging the 2023 revocation signalled intent — winning the name back in July made the September reveal a certainty rather than a risk.

Putting the name on the SF90 successor, not a retro special, converted poster-car affection into flagship demand without restomod costs.

The ruling's precedent protected the wider portfolio: every dormant Ferrari name became harder to strip after the Testarossa case.

Dormant trademarks are working assets, not relics: licensing and dealer activity can keep a name legally alive — and a recovered name is the cheapest flagship marketing there is.

The verdict rippled beyond Maranello as precedent for legacy brands: genuine use can live in garages and glass display cases, not just showrooms. The 849 Testarossa itself landed into a harder market — Top Gear noted Ferrari's share price down 30 per cent in a year and reception to the styling split from 'it doesn't look like a Testarossa' to calls to bring Pininfarina back — yet the company doubled down, adding a Spider with the same output within the year. The original cars kept appreciating, making the name Ferrari defended worth more than the day it was revoked.