CUORE APERTO - "Open Heart"
Ferrari Testarossa Flat-12 — One-of-One Functional Sculpture
Built around one of the most recognizable twelve-cylinder Ferrari engines, Cuore Aperto transforms a genuine Ferrari Testarossa flat-twelve into a one-of-one piece of functional automotive sculpture.
The name Testarossa translates from Italian as “red head,” a reference to the distinctive red-finished cylinder heads that became a signature of Ferrari's twelve-cylinder engines.
Cuore Aperto — “Open Heart” — takes that idea one step further.
As a showcase furniture piece the flat-twelve has been opened up. Its crankcases, cylinder heads, valve covers and intake manifolds are separated and precisely spaced in an exploded arrangement, inspired by the technical drawings used to illustrate the construction of an engine.
The result exposes the architecture normally hidden inside the completed assembly and allows each major component of the flat-twelve to become part of the composition.
The intake manifolds rise above the engine and become part of the structure itself, supporting the glass top while creating an uninterrupted view down through the different layers of the engine.
The Finish
The engine is finished in a custom three-tone chrome powdercoat developed specifically for Cuore Aperto.
Three complementary chrome finishes transition across the components, creating subtle changes in tone and depth throughout the engine. The colors were designed to blend together while still defining the individual layers of the flat-twelve.
The valve covers are finished in contrasting red wrinkle — retaining the visual detail that gave the Testarossa, the “red head,” its name.
A Special Engine Worth Seeing
Cuore Aperto was designed to show what is normally hidden.
From above, the glass provides a view directly through the separated layers of the engine. From the side, the cases, heads and intake system appear almost suspended in position, revealing the symmetry, scale and complexity of Ferrari's flat-twelve design.
An Original Piece of Ferrari History
Accompanying Cuore Aperto is a framed, genuine period Ferrari warranty card.
Preserved in its aged condition, the document carries the staining, handwritten markings and wear accumulated over its life. Among those
markings is the wonderfully simple diagnosis: “cracked case.”
The warranty card is an authentic Ferrari artifact and a fitting companion to the sculpture — a small surviving piece of Ferrari workshop history displayed alongside the mechanical engineering it once represented.
DETAILS
The glass top sits 21" from the ground and is pictured with a 48" × 36" rectangular top. The glass can be replaced with a round, oval, or custom-sized top to better suit the proportions and layout of the buyer’s space.
- Genuine Ferrari Testarossa flat-twelve engine components
- Crankcases, cylinder heads, valve covers and intake manifolds
- One-of-one exploded construction
- Intake manifolds incorporated as structural glass supports
- Custom three-tone chrome powder-coated finish
- Traditional red wrinkle-finished valve covers
- Tempered glass tabletop
- Original framed period Ferrari warranty card included
- Individually designed and hand-built by Ben's Automotive Decor in California
Choose options
Interested in customizing an engine coffee table, desk or display?