The Ferrari Testarossa is one of the brands most iconic models so it is surprising to learn the company has reportedly lost the rights to the name.
According to Zeit and Spiegel, Ferrari had to relinquish the rights following a lawsuit by Nuremberg-based toy manufacturer Kurt Hesse and his company Autec AG.
The case over was argued in a Düsseldorf court which decided the Italian automaker hadn’t used the Testarossa name enough in the past five years to give it protection. As a court spokesperson explained, “A brand needs to be used to protect it, which the company has not done here.”
The decision stands for now but Ferrari can appeal to a higher court known as an Oberlandesgericht. It remains unclear if the company will take this route but the automaker argued the Testarossa name should be protected because the company was providing maintenance and repairs for older Testarossa vehicles.
If Ferrari doesn’t continue the case, the Testarossa of the future could be everything from bicycles to electric shavers. That’s a far cry from the classic sports car which debuted in 1984 with a 4.9-liter V12 engine developing 390 hp (290 kW).
Thanks to Stefan for the tip!
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