The Smoking Tire‘s Matt Farah drives the Ferrari Testarossa, the “King of the ’80s.”
Meeting royalty has got to be nerve-racking. What do you wear? How do you officially greet them? In the case of the above Ferrari Testarossa video, you just throw on a short-sleeve shirt and sunglasses, and put your right foot down.
Matt Farah recently got the chance to drive what he calls the “King of the ’80s,” a Ferrari Testarossa. Fortunately, his encounter with the broad-shouldered baron of badassery goes well. After noticing how odd the far-right pedal placement is, Farah actually puts it to work and discovers how well it functions, especially since it works in unison with the gated shifter that old Ferraris are known for. Like all rulers, the Testarossa only wears the finest garments, such as rich leather accented with stitching woven through by skilled artisans. Thanks to its owner, its ’80s-tastic car phone is functional and Bluetooth compatible.
The Testarossa may not have power steering, but that’s not a problem for its owner, or Farah, who’s nothing but smiles as he manipulates the Testarossa to conquer curve after curve of California road. The higher Farah takes the unusual flat-12 into the rev range, particularly around the 7K mark, the more he likes it. Its voice, channeled through a modified exhaust, proves to be hypnotic to Farah. He even takes a break from talking with the car’s shotgun-sitting owner to just drive and listen to the car speak.
Of course, back in the day, no one even had to drive the Testarossa for it to be the King of the ’80s. It just had to exist… and live in constant fear of the Lamborghini Countach taking its crown.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
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