Though it has been quite a long time, I sometimes wonder whether there are people at Ferrari->ke252 who still have complicated feelings about the show Miami Vice. On the one hand, it was good publicity for a Testarossa->ke2391 to appear on such a massively popular show, and the 1984-1991 Ferrari Testarossa was indeed a huge sales success, selling in unprecedented numbers for a flagship 12-cylinder model. But on the other hand, it probably also contributed to the car as being seen as silly and dated before it otherwise would have. Although there is always the chance that that was just the side strakes.

Whatever Ferrari's feelings on the matter, one of the two actual Testarossas from Miami Vice is going up for auction after sitting in storage since 1989. It was only removed from storage earlier this year, and was worked on extensively to bring it back to showroom quality, all of which was certified by Ferrari Classiche. Most of this work was mechanical, making sure all of the moving parts still worked as they were supposed to after sitting for so long. It was otherwise pretty close to new as it was, having just 16,124 miles on it.

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Why it matters

The white Tesarossa came to be used in Miami Vice as the result of a series of strangely intense negotiations between the show's producers and Ferrari. For the first two seasons of the show, as well as the first two episodes of the third season, Detective Crockett drove a replica 1972 Ferrari 365 Daytona Spider GTS/4.

The car was built on the chassis of a 1980 Corvette.->ke1280 As the show became more popular, Ferrari got more and more annoyed, and eventually sued the maker of the replica to get him to stop making them.

Ferrari then turned to the show's producers and offered them two new (and authentic) Testarossas if they agreed to destroy the replica Daytona. So the Daytona got blown up in the beginning of season 3 and Crockett got a new Testarossa.

The Testarossa was a supremely '80s car, possibly more so than any other car during that decade. The Tesarossa was an excellent machine, one of Ferrari's best. It was also the last Ferrari to use a flat-12, as Ferrari switched to a front-engine layout and a V-12 for its flagship GT cars after that.

This is a shame though, as the exhaust note of the Testarossa is truly a marvel. This is a fine example of the breed, and a rare example that came from the factory with only one wing mirror. You're likely to pay a bit extra for the celebrity connection if you buy this particular Testarossa, but you will also be getting a great car.

1984-1991 Ferrari Testarossa

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