MIAMI BEACH: Procrastinating holiday shoppers can now grab one of Miami’s most iconic two-seaters: the all-white 1986 Ferrari Testarossa driven by TV cops “Sonny” Crockett and Ricardo “Rico” Tubbs in the hit 1980s series “Miami Vice.”
The car is available on eBay through Jan. 7 and is being offered for $1.75 million by a south Florida pawn and auto loan company. It acquired the car in 2012 from the person who purchased it from the series producer, a department of Universal Studios, in 1991, according to Auto Pawn Plus owner Peter Lima. “This has been in a garage, hidden for almost 30 years,” he said.
Ferrari could not be reached to confirm the car’s authenticity. The vehicle has done 16,000 miles and has the built-in Motorola phone used in the show, Lima said.
Throughout the series, which aired on NBC for five seasons from 1984 to 1989, producers used a number of cars, including a replica Ferrari for flashy shots cruising down Miami’s sun-soaked, palm tree-lined streets. However when Ferrari founder Enzo Ferrari discovered the show was using a replica he demanded Universal use authentic cars, according to Lima.
Producers acquired two black 12-cylinder Testarossas that were later repainted white, according to work receipts.
The other car is owned by a south Florida collector who has it on display in a flea market. Should no buyer emerge for the Ferrari it will be sent to a high-end auction. “No big deal,” Lima said. “It will sell for more.”
“Miami Vice” featured Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas in the lead roles and broke new ground through the use of new wave culture and music. It remains popular in syndication.
