For a TV series to become a smashing hit, it needs to feature some sort of hero vehicle. At least from my point of view. In Star Wars, that’s the Millennium Falcon. In the Star Trek universe, that would be the Starship Enterprise. Miami Vice, on the other hand, revolves around Sonny Crockett’s Ferrari Testarossa.
The Prancing Horse of Maranello gave the production company not one, but two Testarossa vehicles as a replacement for a Corvette-based replica of the Daytona Spyder 365 GTS/4. A third Testarossa was also used by the series’ crew as a stunt car. The pictured mid-engine supercar, however, is one of the two original Testarossa models.
Slated to go under the hammer at the Scottsdale 2017 auction, Barrett-Jackson will try to fetch as many green dollar bills as possible on this piece of Hollywood history. To be offered at no reserve, the Miami Vice car bears VIN ZFFSA17AXG0063631 and boasts something modern Ferraris don’t have: a manual transmission.
The "mono-specchio" Testarossa was originally finished in Metallic Black, but due to the chromatic approach of Miami Vice, producers painted it the trademark white it still wears to this day. The single-mirror model is animated by a 4.9-liter flat-12 that produces 375 horsepower in North American tune. At heart a 180-degree V12, the F113 A 040 engine is gifted with KE-Jetronic fuel injection, dry-sump lubrication, and a catchy exhaust note.
Compared to other Testarossas from 1986, this particular one has something that screams 1980s through its pores: a cocaine white carphone. It’s a bit archaic by Apple CarPlay and Android Auto standards, but then again, this fellow here is more than three decades old.
The pictured Testarossa was retired when Miami Vice ended in ’89. Placed in storage until 2015, the old-school machine recently received an $8,000 engine-out service. Authenticated by both Ferrari North America and Ferrari Classiche, the Miami Vice Ferrari Testarossa is accompanied by a copy of the original title from Universal Studios.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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