Forgotten cars from TV series - Ferrari Testarossa
08/13/2015
Well, okay, the white Ferrari Testarossa from the TV series "Miami Vice" has probably not yet been completely forgotten. It was simply too present on the screen for that and it wasn't that long ago. Crocket originally drove a Ferrari Daytona Spider Replica based on a Corvette, probably for budget reasons. However, this did not suit Ferrari at all as the TV series became increasingly prominent, and so the black Spider was replaced by two black Ferrari Testarossa cars.
The director, however, decided that a white Testarossa would look much better in post-production scenes and so a color change was made.
With the TV series, the Testarossa also became a cult item in the USA and was soon part of the outfit of would-be crocks like Ray Ban sunglasses, pastel-colored T-shirts or loafers.
Unlike many movie and TV cars, however, you can now buy the Miami Vice Testarossa, as Mecum is auctioning it off during Pebble Beach Week in Monterey ( August 13 to 15, 2015).
An estimated price for chassis number 63631 has not been given, but the 86 Testarossa, a coveted model with the single raised rear-view mirror, was in storage from 1989 to 2015 and has only 16,124 miles on the clock. Ferrari North America and Ferrari Classique have confirmed its authenticity and even treated the sports car to a fresh service, during which the engine was removed and reinstalled as usual (for around USD 8,000). And a huge cell phone still bears witness to the filming back then.
Mecum speaks of "perhaps the most famous Ferrari ever", which probably seems a little exaggerated, but it would not be surprising if the hammer fell at well over USD 200,000.
Addendum (August 15, 2015, 21:47): The hammer did not fall. After around five minutes, Mecum's auctioneer sent the car back ("the bid goes on"). At this point, the highest bid was USD 600,000, which was obviously still below the minimum bid. It was probably not for nothing that the auctioneer had originally wanted to start at USD 1 million, but then allowed himself to be knocked down to USD 300,000 for the first bid. Will the Testarossa find a new owner after the auction?
