365/4 Daytona Spider "Miami Vice" Re-Creation

Description

OFFERED WITHOUT RESERVE

When NBC aired the first episode of Miami Vice on September 16, 1984, America quickly fell in love with the show's sharp-dressed detectives, Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson) and Ricardo Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas), and their iconic 1972 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spyder. Except the Ferrari wasn't a Ferrari at all.  

As most Miami Vice fans know, Crockett's 1972 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spyder was actually a replica built on a C3 Corvette chassis that was created by Tom McBurnie of McBurnie Coachcraft. McBurnie built a pair of these Ferrari look-alikes, one for close-up shots and the other for stunts. Sadly, Crockett's "Daytona" was blown up by an illegal arms dealer early in Season 3, not because the scene was originally scripted but because Ferrari had filed a lawsuit against McBurnie, and Miami Vice producers wanted to put an end to the dispute. (Ferrari later donated two real 1986 Ferrari Testarossas to use in the show.) 

McBurnie later offered Miami Vice replicas based on a 1981 Chevrolet Corvette chassis like this one. And under the company name Thunder Ranch, he marketed a '34 Lightning Thunderod hot rod kit and replicas of the Porsche 550 and Porsche 356 Speedster, as well as building the Riot cars on TV's Baywatch. 

Highlights 

• Finished in black paint with black convertible top over tan and black leather interior 

• Powered by a 5.7-liter V8 with four-barrel carburetor rated at 190 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque 

• Five-speed manual transmission 

• Clean CARFAX Vehicle History Report  

Features 

• Numerous Ferrari badges and prancing horse logos 

• Pininfarina front fender badges 

• Alpine AM/FM/CD stereo with Alpine speakers 

• 175 mph speedometer and 9000 rpm tachometer 

• 15-inch knock-off wire wheels with Ferrari logo 

• BFGoodrich Comp T/A 225/60ZR15 tires 

Known Imperfections 

• Minor exterior paint imperfections 

• Driver’s side lower edge of top needs to be adhered back to body 

• Rear edge of driver’s side rear wheel well is scraped 

• Driver’s side orange rear taillight is cracked 

• Trunk weather stripping has come loose 

• Steering wheel shows some wear 

• Leather on driver’s seat is cracked in several places 

Included 

• Florida MIA VICE license plate 

• Ferrari floor mats 

• McBurnie Coachcraft information 

• Receipts 

Ownership History 

The accompanying CARFAX Vehicle History Report for this 1981 Chevrolet Corvette begins seven years after it was new, when it was purchased in August 1988 in Parsippany, New Jersey. A new owner was reported in October 2008 in Miami, Florida — naturally, since by then it had likely been turned into the Miami Vice Ferrari Re-Creation that it is now. The car’s current owner bought it in June 2009 in Racine, Wisconsin.