A 512TR on the Autostrada
(Un cinque-dodici T-R sull'Autostrada). I knew
my Italian would come in handy eventually! On our
way from Castello di Gargonza to Voltera, Italy, our
little Renault Espace was doing a comfortable 80 or 90
mph. From my back-row seat position, I could watch all the cars
around me as usual. Then, from the left lane came soaring
the huge 512TR (commonly known as the Testarossa). But it
didn't blow by us at 120 mph as I had hoped. Instead,
the driver passed us cautiously, from which I got some good
photos. Then he decided to exit, slowly, but at the last
second he bailed off the exit ramp back onto the road. After
which he continued to slow it about 70 mph and we blew him
away. Thats right, a Renault Espace (a 4 door minivan), turbo-diesel
engine, blew away a V12 Ferrari Testarossa. True story.
This was the first shot I got of it as I thought it
would blow us away. The man driving and woman passenger
looked as out of place in the Ferrari as we probably
did in our big van in Rome. Either they stole it, or
didn't realize what they were driving. Too bad.
As the driver in the 512 began to slow (either because
they realized what they were driving either had to
be driven cautioulsy or quickly and chose the wrong answer),
we passed them by. The car is quite wide, but still beautiful.
If it weren't for the ever present engine hummm at about
5500 RPM in the wee back row of our Espace, I'm sure
I could have heard the sweet engine note of the 512 as well.
