How do I upgrade the stereo in my Testarossa/512 TR?

While some Ferrari owners prefer to listen only to the sweet melody of their engine as they drive, others enjoy mixing in sound from a car stereo. Because of the space restrictions in the cockpit of most Ferraris, achieving decent stereo sound can be a challenge. This FAQ addresses stereo installation issues for the Ferrari Testarossa and 512 TR. It is based on the stereo installation of Charles G. Perry's 1987 Testarossa, and Steve Jenkins' 1992 512 TR.

Replacing the Right Woofer:
Testarossa: Follow the carpet around to where the speaker panel meets the footwell. Pull the carpet on the speaker panel towards the back of the car. This will expose two small Phillips head screws with washers. Remove these screws. Follow the carpet around to where the speaker panel meets the door jamb. There are two more screws concealed here, one at the top and one at the bottom. The screws are VERY well concealed under the carpet. The lower screw may be driven at such an angle as to make you think that it was in before the car was welded around it, but it will come out with gentle coaxing. The entire speaker panel then can shift toward the center of the car (around the emergency hood release retainer) and out. The speaker is mounted to the back of the panel with four 7mm nuts. The passive crossover for the speaker is also mounted to the top of the panel. Your replacement woofer size should be 6.5 inches.

512 TR: Using a Phillips screwdriver, remove the four silver screws in the carpet at the bottom of the door. Using the same screwdriver, remove the black screw that attaches the top part of the leather door handle to the side of the door. Using a small flathead screwdriver, pry up the black power window switch from the black plastic door release assembly in the arm rest and disconnect it. Lift the black door release handle to expose two silver screws. Using a large Philips screwdriver, remove both screws. The screws are seated at an angle, but you will still need to hold the door release handle up with one hand while you remove the screws with the other. Pull up on the door release handle, and lift the entire assembly out of the armrest. There is a black tab on the end of the mechanism furthest away from the handle, which holds the mechanism in place. The door release handle is still attached to the door latch via a cable, which will be disconnected in a subsequent step. Lightly pull the carpet away from the bottom of the door just enough to squeeze your hand underneath. Reach upward towards the arm-rest (that sits on top of the larger arm rest) until you find a black metal spring-loaded tab that holds the small rectangular leather-covered mini-arm rest in place (it may be helpful to look for this using a flashlight the first time you do this). Using your thumb, press the spring-loaded tab towards the center of the car. This will release the mini-arm rest and allow you to lift it easily out of the large arm rest. There is a gold non-spring loaded tab on the other end of this mini-arm rest. Using a 10mm socket, remove the three nuts and washers that hold the lower door assembly in place. The first nut is hidden under the black plastic door handle assembly. The second and third nuts are accessible through the hole that was covered by the mini-arm rest. If you drop the nuts and/or washers into the door, don't worry - they are easily retrieved once this part of the door is removed. Using the leather door handle, pull towards you to slide the entire lower door assembly off of the three bolts from which you just removed the nuts and washers. The only remaining connections to the door will be the plastic yellow speaker wire connection housing and the door latch release cable. Pull lightly on the yellow connector to disconnect the speaker. To disconnect the door latch release cable, firmly grasp the black plastic lever into which the bent metal end of the cable is inserted. Gently twist the bent metal end upward to release it from the plastic lever, and then pull the bent metal end straight out of the center of the lever. Using a 4mm socket, remove the 4 nuts that hold the speaker to the door. The speaker will lift easily out of place. Use a 6.5 inch woofer for a replacement speaker. Don't use two- or three-way speakers as replacements, unless you plan on removing the silver mesh grille that goes between the speaker and the carpet. Otherwise, vibration from the tweeters on the two- and three-way speakers will cause the grille to rattle.

Replacing the Left Woofer:
Testarossa: This is the same procedure as the right woofer, except that the carpet seam concealing the rear screws is just in front of the dead pedal.

512 TR: This is the same procedure as the right woofer, except that the black plastic door release handle assembly contains an extra power window switch and the power mirror switch mechanism.

Replacing the Left and Right Tweeters
Testarossa and 512 TR: These are difficult to remove, and perhaps even more difficlut to replace. The tweeter grill protrudes through the dash hole and has three little sheet metal tabs sticking out. Behind the dash is a gold-colored metal plate with a hole in the center and four studs pointing toward the front of the car. The little tabs on the grill are pushed through the hole and then bent up against the metal plate, locking the grill & plate in place. The tweeter then mounts to the metal plate by slipping over the four studs and being secured by four 7mm nuts. If you remove the entire dash, you could probably remove the 7mm nuts and remove the tweeter. With the dash still in, however, the only way to remove them is to hold the tweeter grill with one hand and rotate the tweeter/plate combination. This will cause the little tabs on the grill to unbend and slip out, and the tweeter and plate will come off the back and the grill will fall out the front.

The driver's side is particularly difficult because there is a sensor of some sort right below the tweeter, which blocks what little access there is to that area. The sensor is connected via rubber tubing to some type of small fan. You must first remove the fan in order to access the tweeter, which you can accomplish by unhooking the black rubber band that secures the fan to the bracket. You can then push the fan out of the way and access the tweeter.

Replacing the Head Unit:
Some Testarossas came with a factory installed Blaupunkt head unit (deck). You need a special tool to remove the head unit. You can order the part from Crutchfield, part #150DINTOOL, for $3.00. Their phone number is (800) 955-3000. Or you can create your own tool by cutting up a metal coat hanger and bending it around in a little U shape. To release each side of the head unit, you need to press the metal into the two little holes on each side of the head unit's face simultaneously. The head unit will then slide out of the mounting cage, which removes by unbending the sheet metal tabs around the outside edges.

Replacing the Amplifier
The factory-installed amplifier is mounted behind a metal panel in the passenger side footwell. You will need to remove the passenger side center console trim (3 tiny Phillips screws and 1 medium) so you don't scar the leather. Then pull back the carpet on the passenger foot well. There will be a metal plate covering the forward section. There are four large Phillips head screws holding the plate down. The amp is secured to the back of the plate.

Mounting New Stereo Hardware Under the Hood
You can cut out a board the same size as the spare tire cover for the hood and cover it with matching carpet. This can serve as an amplifier rack and can house a capacitor for your stereo system, as well as a fire extinguisher and the factory tool kits.

Mounting a Subwoofer Enclosure
A subwoofer enclosure can sit on the little shelf behind the seats, and can also house a CD-changer so you can change cartridges while still inside the car. Consider covering the enclosure in matching leather so that the speakers will be relatively well-concealed.

Enjoy the new sound in your Ferrari!

Contributions to this FAQ by: Charles G. Perry IV, Steve Jenkins