I really never watched Miami Vice as a kid (probably because my parents wouldn’t let me), but one thing I do know about the hit 1980s TV show was its hero car—a white Ferrari Testarossa. Visions of the Testarossa would continue to be fed into my brain at an early age, from playing the arcade game OutRun to hearing my brother blasting Sir Mix-A-Lot’s Mack Daddy album, which contained a hit song called—you guessed it— “Testarossa. “
Of course, I really didn’t know the difference between a V-12 and a four-cylinder back then, but suffice it to say Ferrari was already up high on a pedestal. I dreamt that one day, when I made it on Robin Leach’s Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, I would buy my very own mid-engine Testarossa. Thirty years later, I’ve come to find myself nowhere near owning anything Italian outside of a bottle of red wine; however, I do catch myself drooling over certain older Ferraris, in particular, tastefully modified ones such as Kazuki Osashi’s 1989 Testarossa.
First encounter with Osashi and his Testarossa
It took me a minute to remember, but I actually met Osashi and discovered his Rosso Corsa Testarossa in person at Wekfest Japan 2017. After admiring his car as well as a Ferrari 348 TS and Lotus Esprit at the show, I wrote an editorial explaining how the next big craze in the scene would be restoring ’80s and ’90s exotics/supercars and infusing them with modern style, not in the form of swapping out their iconic engines, but throwing on cooler wheels, implementing OEM+ styling, and dialing-in a jaw-dropping stance. Of course, four years after writing that editorial, it hasn’t caught on like wildfire as I’d imagined—picking up an old ‘Rari still doesn’t come cheap. Despite the Testarossa being one of the most mass produced sports cars from Ferrari’s Maranello factory with around 10,000 units sold, it still holds a premium ranging between $90,000 and $200,000 (I could think of 10 other cars off the top of my head that I’d rather buy with that kind of money, but I digress). However, for Osashi, he was determined to be different, creative, and to make his mark in the aftermarket community.
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Young suspension entrepreneur
When I first met Osashi, he was only 22 years old and a fresh graduate out of design school. Right away I could tell he was one of those guys who was always thinking in different and creative ways. Over the next four years he started two suspension companies. His first, Madlane.ltd, specializes in building custom high-end air systems typically using hard line plumbing, while his second, Prazis Air Suspension, offers air components in a variety of configurations. Osashi explained to me that most of his clientele are German and Italian car owners; in fact, he’s working on a Lamborghini Countach and Porsche 935 as we speak, so I’m sure you’ll be seeing those builds break the internet soon.
Why a Testarossa?
It’s an honest question… Kazuki is 26 years old today, so why not go after a Ferrari more in line with his age bracket? Something like, for example, a F430 or 458, which would’ve been the current Ferrari models at the time he was getting his driver’s license. He laughingly reveals that one day while messing around with an old poster of a Testarossa, he took out a pair of scissors and cut it up to drop the ride height. That little experiment inspired him and a year later he became a proud Testarossa owner.
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Stock Ferrari engine, stance perfect, wheels sexy
As mentioned earlier, it isn’t advisable to mess with the DOHC flat-12 engine of a legendary exotic like the Testarossa. While its 4.9-liter with 380 horsepower propels the Ferrari to 60 mph in five seconds or so, it’s not fast by any means in this day and age. But Osashi didn’t buy this car to win races. It’s a style and status statement and modifying it to look incredible on the streets was the only objective.
Osashi used his expertise to swap out the stock suspension for his Prazis air struts managed via AccuAir’s e-Level system. Ferrari aficionados will notice the updated 512 TR rear bumper that’s been retrofitted. The fenders have also been slightly pulled out to accommodate rebuilt 18×9-inch front, 19×11-rear Autostrada Modena wheels (made by Work Wheels back in the day) wrapped by stretched Pirelli P Zero Rosso rubber.
Shortest mod list ever? Perhaps, but is it the baddest Testarossa on the planet? You’re damn right. There’s no reason for anything like a lip kit or over-fenders to take away from the Testarossa’s already beautiful shape and sexy side strakes. Three decades later these Ferraris remain as glorious as they did when I was growing up, and thanks to Osashi, we can continue to idolize the Testarossa—now with an aftermarket touch.
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Photographer Mike Crawat on Kazuki Ohashi and his Testarossa: “I met Kazuki two years ago at the Lake Wörthersee in Austria during XS Carnight 2018. After hearing the news that his car would fly over from Japan to Wroclaw in Poland for Raceism 2019, I just had to get in touch with him to plan a session in Poland with his Testarossa. It was a Sunday and the end of the Raceism event and we headed out to the drift track one hour before sunset. The Kyza, Kazuki, and a whole bunch of friends joined my shoot to just enjoy the moment, enjoying the view of such a beautiful sight. The car looks so killer in real life, even more than in photos. The wheels, the fitment, the vibe you experience during a shoot like this, it’s unreal! In person, Kazuki is a very relaxed and down to earth guy and one of the friendliest people I’ve met. Always smiling, always in a good mood, giving away his Matcha Kit Kats. Haha!”
1989 Ferrari Testarossa Specs
- Engine: 4.9-liter DOHC V-12
- Drivetrain: Five-speed manual transmission
- Footwork & Chassis: Prazis Air Suspension Japan air struts; AccuAir e-Level management
- Wheels & Tires: 18×9-in front, 19×11-in rear rebuilt Autostrada Modena wheels; 215/35R18 front, 265/35R19 rear Pirelli P Zero Rosso tires
- Exterior: 512 TR rear bumper; fenders widened 20mm
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